Conrado Estrada: New Yorker, 57, ashamed of 'penis-shaped nose' gets miracle surgery
Years before a section of Americans were finding excuses to do away with masks, a man from New York was doing everything in his power to keep his on. Conrado Estrada, 57, said his nose protruded so much that eating and breathing became a task and he decided to keep it covered. Besides causing physical struggles, Estrada couldn't be in public without being sneered at. This changed when he crossed paths with a God-sent "angel" who helped fix his problem permanently.
We've reported on similar incidents in the past where distressed people who are or have been disfigured came across doctors who helped them gain their confidence back. For example, a woman named Brontee hated how she looked when she sneaked a peek in the mirror and she decided to seek help from the 'Botched' doctors to help fix her face. Read more about her story here. In another incident, K Michelle's butt implant deflated on Instagram live video but luckily for Michelle, she never shied away from talking about her surgeries, especially her implants that proved to pose a huge problem for her at one point in time.
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Who is Conrado Estrada's 'angel'?
Portchester, New York resident Conrado spoke about the looks his nose attracted when out in public. "They would stare at me," he told the New York Post. "Children would ask their mothers what happened to me - and I would get around it by using a face mask all the time." While at home, Estrada would not be able to breathe at ease, he would snore, have issues with eating, and his nose got in the way of just about everything. "It had reached my lips and whenever I took a bite when i ate that would touch the spoon," Estrada said.
Then one fine day, he landed up at the Lenox Hill Hospital's Dr Thomas Romo's doorstep along with the rest of the paint crew the latter had hired. Dr Romo was "sort of excited" when that happened, he told the outlet. Speaking of Estrada's "proboscis", he said "this was a bad one" and it appeared as if he had a "penis on his nose", he described. "It was a smoldering infection ... and it would have just kept going." Estrada who now has a functional nose told the outlet, “I believe God sent an angel to take care of me — and that’s how I see Dr. Romo.”
Dr Romo fixed Estrada's nose pro bono
Dr Romo pulled Estrada aside after discovering he had a disfigured nose. The New Yorker's condition is described as rhinophyma and people who are affected by it have thickened and pitted skin at the tip of the nose due to enlarged sebaceous glands. This inflammatory skin disease generally affects older men and sometimes in extreme cases such as Estrada's, surgery is the only way to fix things back to normal. Dr Romo hadn't seen a rhinophyma in 20 years and understood "this has to be affecting his life, his relationship with other people and his ability to get work, and [his] self-esteem."
Dr Romo helped fix the painter and construction worker's nose "pro bono". He is used to helping people out through his Little Baby Face Foundation which is dedicated to "transform the lives of children born with debilitating facial deformities through world-class reconstructive surgery." He added, "Not many people know how to fix this thing" because insurance doesn't cover it. This surgery was a Christmas miracle for Estrada who is now back to work after a four-week recovery period since the surgery. "You’d think he won an Olympic gold medal,” Dr Romo described Estrada’s post-operative photos. “Chest is out, face’s out, he’s a smiley guy. I feel great for him!” before adding, “I’m doing everything I can to help my community. I want this community to flourish.” Dr Romo has also explained Estrada's condition and his surgery on an Instagram post, read the caption by clicking on the post below.