To this nose, yes, I like being attached

This poem about an attached nose is one of the most famous satirical sonnets in Spanish literature, and it answers exactly what many people search for as attached nose, what it is o attached nose, what it means: the sonnet about an attached nose that Francisco de Quevedo dedicated to a contemporary with an oversized nose.

There once was a man attached to a nose,

There once was a superlative nose,

There once was a half-alive alembic,

There once was a poorly-bearded swordfish.

Don Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas was not at all generous with that “man with a big nose” to whom he dedicated a nose attached to a man. But the truth is that noses of larger-than-normal size have always drawn attention, if not — in truly exceptional cases — mockery.

That makes sense, even if it is a cruel kind of sense, because the nasal appendage, together with the eyes, forms the area people look at when two people talk. It cannot be hidden. It is part of everyone’s personality.

And being all that, and surely other things beside the point here, its shape and size very often cause problems of self-esteem and confidence. Even when it comes nowhere near the condition of an ill-faced sundial, an elephant lying on its back, or a hangman-and-scribe nose, it does not turn you into Ovidio Nasón badly nosed.

Rhinoplasty, as a tool for aesthetic alteration of the nose

The rhinoplasty is the surgical procedure performed to correct:

• Size
• Shape
• Or both aspects of the nose

The goal is to achieve facial harmony. Its results are usually excellent, and complications arising from it are very rare. It is important: except in exceptional cases

• A trauma, or a severe functional impairment
• Very young patients, children, and adolescents should not be operated on; it is best to wait until their development is complete

All of this is so true that one wonders what would have become of Cyrano de Bergerac, the man whose nose (What good is that accessory to you? A cupboard, a case, or a desk?) would have preceded him by fifteen minutes, had he been born in these times. He longed for it, or so it is reflected in the text by Rostand: “If I had such a nose on my face, I would amputate it.” But that was only that, a wish…

Thinking about it: at least in his case, it is better that there was no medical way to correct it, because it would have deprived us of some of the most sublime moments in the history of literature.

If you would like more information, contact our team at Clínicas Fernández Blanco, call 915 54 09 24 (Madrid) or 952 850 468 (Marbella, Málaga).