A lot of teens head back to school with new clothes, perhaps even a new hairstyle. However, one Oklahoma girl is really sporting a new look this year - a new nose.

National statistics show nose reshaping surgery is the most common cosmetic surgical procedure in patients under the age of 18. Experts in facial cosmetic surgery with the OU MEDICAL CENTER say it can truly be a life-changing experience for these young people. It certainly has been for 15-year-old Ashlee Workentien.

Ashlee had known for a long time that she didn’t look like other kids. Since she was very little, other children had made fun of her nose. In recent years, though, the teasing and name-calling had grown still worse.

“They would torture me, they would,” said Ashlee of the other children. “Since they thought I was different, they would just push me around. They would tease me. They would do all sorts of things. I mean the name calling was terrible.”

As Ashlee’s self-esteem plummeted, her parents knew they had to do something.

“Well, Ashlee has been bugged probably for the last four or five years in school,” said Tracey Workentien, Ashlee’s father. “I mean, all of the name calling. Her self esteem has been real bad. I actually got her in counseling probably about two and half years ago.”

He said it was clear, though, that counseling alone would not erase the damage being done to his daughter’s emotional well-being. He decided helping make her better on the inside, would mean making changes on the outside too. So he turned to Ivan Wayne, MD. Wayne is a facial surgery specialist with OU Physicians.

Nose-reshaping surgery, also known as rhinoplasty, is fairly common among cosmetic surgical procedures in all age groups. However in children, Wayne said it is important to wait until the child is old enough medically to get it done because one needs to be sure the face has grown sufficiently. For Ashlee, the wait ended two months ago and her surgery was scheduled at the OU MEDICAL CENTER. Computer-aided technology allowed Wayne to give Ashlee and her parents a sneak peek at what her new nose should look like.

“She had a very unusual looking nose,” explained Wayne. “It was physically malformed. It appeared it didn’t grow properly. It was very flat.”

So Ashlee’s surgery would be different than most nose-reshaping or rhinoplasty procedures. Instead of removing a large hump on the nose or reducing the nose in size, the nose would have to be built up in Ashlee’s case.

Wayne utilized Ashlee’s own cartilage inside the nose to act as a new bridge where hers failed to grow properly. His goal was to create a nose that would not only look good, but function well throughout life.

“When I work on a nose I try to make the nose internally the way it would have been if you had been born with a perfect nose,” Wayne said. “The nose is a very complex structure that has to allow you to breathe and smell. That’s why you have to pay close attention to the structure of the nose when you modify it. That requires thinking, not in terms of what it will be like in six weeks, but what it will be like in ten years. I believe that approach gives you a long-term result that provides good breathing and doesn’t change in a negative way with time.”

Eight weeks after her surgery, Ashlee returned for another follow-up visit with Wayne. Most of the post-surgical swelling had subsided and Wayne got a chance to really see the results of his work – Ashlee’s new nose. Interestingly, he said the visit also meant a chance to see a new Ashlee.

“When I first met Ashlee, she was definitely a teenager who was looking down, never smiling, never getting into the humor of the situation,” he explained. “Today, she’s definitely more poised. She is putting herself out there a little more – smiling and being more emotionally available.”

Wayne also took a new photo of Ashlee. Then utilizing the same computer-aided technology he had used prior to surgery, he was able to show Ashlee and her parents how her new nose compared to her old one. He also showed them how it compared to the computer-aided projection he had built of what her new news should look like.

“I mean he got it right in that scale that he said he would,” remarked Tracy Workentien. “It’s a wonderful outcome.”

Interestingly, after two months, Ashlee’s nose was still healing. In fact, Dr. Wayne said its final appearance will likely be even better. He explained it takes about a year for the nose to completely heal following nose surgery.

Still, Wayne was definitely pleased with what he saw both in Ashlee’s new nose and her bolstered self image. Ashlee’s parents, meantime, were thrilled with the changes.

“Her self esteem is so much better,” commented her father. “I mean she used to spend hours trying to get ready and make herself look good.  Now she's in there 15 or 20 minutes and I mean she's got a smile on her face!”

Asked how she would rate her new nose on a scale of one to ten, Ashlee replied, “probably a nine or ten. I’m not kidding. I love it!”

Ashlee said she especially loves the fact the physical change to her overall appearance is subtle; but clearly, its impact on her life and on her outlook on life has been dramatic.

“Smiling patients - that’s the best thing about what I do,” remarked Wayne. “There’s nothing better than that.”