“My nose swelled so much I worried about frightening children — I couldn’t even kiss my wife,” says man after life-changing surgery

For six long years, 68-year-old Gerard McAliece from Kilmacolm, Scotland, watched helplessly as his nose grew larger and larger — to the point where he could no longer kiss his wife, Carol.

The retired IBM worker said the swelling began gradually but soon became impossible to ignore.

“It just kept growing and growing,” Gerard recalled. “People would stare or look away, but I thought, ‘This is me — take me as I am.’”

What started as a small bump eventually became a major burden. His nose swelled so much it began to hang over his mouth, leaving him deeply self-conscious.

“The younger kids were the worst,” he admitted. “They have no filter. I worried I might frighten them — even my grandchildren’s friends at birthday parties.”

When Gerard first sought medical help, his concerns were brushed aside.

“They asked if I could breathe, and when I said yes, that was the end of it,” he said. “I didn’t push it because I thought others needed help more than I did.”

It wasn’t until his wife Carol encouraged him to seek private care that doctors at Glasgow’s Ever Clinic finally diagnosed him with rhinophyma — a severe condition that causes the sebaceous glands and connective tissue of the nose to enlarge, resulting in thickened, red, and bulbous skin. The British Association of Dermatologists notes that rhinophyma often develops in people with rosacea, though its exact cause is unknown.

By that point, Gerard’s condition had become one of the most extreme cases the clinic had ever treated. Surgeons carried out a complex four-hour operation to remove the overgrown tissue and reconstruct his nose.

“They told me it was the biggest job they had ever tackled,” Gerard said. “It was a real challenge, but they got it all done in one session.”

Although the anaesthetic began wearing off before the surgery ended, Gerard said the outcome was “absolutely worth it.”

Now fully healed, Gerard describes the transformation as life-changing.

“It’s totally turned my life around,” he said. “Carol says I’m back to being the man I used to be. I’m going out again, meeting people, having a pint, and enjoying meals — things we hadn’t done in years.”

Offering advice to others facing similar struggles, he urged:

“If you’re in the same position I was, don’t wait. Just do it.”