This is an essay discussing Michael Jacksons nose, health & possible struggles with ENS (empty nose syndrome) We WILL NOT be discussing any allegations in this essay, nor make any claims, opinions or references. Please let that be understood...
Alright... now let's get into it!
Being that I am an artist & sufferer I have a new found respect for him. And i truly believe that ENS IS what killed him. I'm not nearly as known as him, but there aren't too many public figures with this illness. And I don't think he even knew he had it.
I do think he knew something was wrong, and likely due to his nose surgeries but... so much has changed, even in the short time I've had it, and not as much information was available then, or doctors treating it. Seeing as the first doctor to even coin the term ENS was Dr. Houser in the 80's.
Doing a deep dive into Michael Jackson's health complaints, AS WELL AS, his cause of death, several things line up. with him having Empty Nose Syndrome.
There's no doubt about it he was a nasal cripple. The poor man suffered from body dysmorphia which seemed to be more of physiological thing caused by trauma (childhood, ect.) In interviews he mentioned being insecure about hitting puberty since he was seen as this sweet, endearing, talented little boy. He also mentioned his father being emotionally & physically abusive! Since Michael was the bread & butter of the Jackson 5 and his family, more pressure was put on him. Putting it mildly, he saw & experienced a lot of wild s*** for a young kid in Hollywood and had to grow up quick. Which aside from being an eccentric artist, is likely why he held onto his inner child so tightly. He saw his nose as a source of pain; the pain & the scrutiny of growing up, the pain from being criticized about his looks, the pain of childhood trauma, especially with his father Joe, and overall being mistreated.
Some people escape by changing themselves. They completely abandon the person they were to attempt to abandon the trauma that goes with it. This may be physical or mental. For him it was both. Others use plastic surgery as a form of self harm, disguised as self love. He was a hyper critical perfectionist.
Things I can relate to. Although my dad wasn't nearly as physically abusive, I come from a goofball father who didn't respect his family, was emotionally abusive, immature, irrational and is now a member of the MAGA movement (go figure.)
I suffered with a lot of issues as a child AND an adult. I still am.
and they all likely stem from this dynamic. And the things I learned and associated from society.
Although I'm a very wise girl, and know right from wrong and have a good moral compass and code, these things still effected me.
Early MJ:
In Michael's early days he was in the middle of doing a high end Pepsi commercial.
On set they were filming a concert of his where he busts out the Pepsi can, probably not quite as cringe as Kendall Jenner's, but dangerous still...
The pyrotechnics exploded out and scorched a piece of Michael's hair catching the top of his head on fire. There's video of it on YouTube, where you can see Michael Jackson DANCING to literally put out the fire. This accident may have also contributed more to all the plastic surgeries he got between 1983 -1995 which we'll talk about more.
Michael suffered from vitaligo - a condition that changes the pigment of the skin. Even though people with this condition are quite beautiful, Michael being the perfectionist he is, was probably driven to change his appearance quite a lot.
In order to mask this, he changed his entire skin tone.
This plus the Pepsi fiasco probably sparked his interest in experimentation; not just with his skin, but with makeup & hair.
There may be many procedures he underwent to fix the burns, skin grafts, ect.
He even played up rumors that he slept in an oxygen chamber because for burn victims oxygen chambers are very helpful for saving skin tissue. This may have also contributed to him wanting to change his skin tone.. to cover it up.
He also broke his nose. Not sure when but Michael claims it was early on, while he was onstage and that was way back in the late 70's.
Many people who have breathing difficulties from a broken nose can benefit from fixing it but his surgery became more about changing the structure, which did not help his breathing.
He all together maybe had 10 nasal procedures, maybe more! maybe less.
by the Thriller era he at least had 2 or 3. And by the "BAD" album he had more.
This is when the skin bleaching became more noticeable too.
Even though his appearance changed drastically
And by the 90's, Oprah was asking "What's up...??"
In many interviews Michael would politely but defensively say "that's silly" & that he didn't have any or much work done, just fixed his nose so he could breathe better.
Michael also surprisingly had a lot of voice issues. You could hear him struggling to perform during his 90's era shows and often lip syncing. This is not to take anything away from him or discredit him, he is insanely talented and we know what he's capable of... Nobody knew what was going on behind the scenes. But after all this research & deep dives it paints a picture. And vanity took the W in the end.
& by that I mean all the surgeries, paired with the emotional and physical trauma.
The pain of dealing with a botched surgery and having to try to breathe out of his nose was probably impossible. He maybe got a little air in there.
But his lungs painted a different picture. Unsure if MJ suffered with Asthma but his lungs were severely inflamed in his autopsy report.
The Nasal Turbinates (the sinuses that go along the sidewalls of the nose) oxygenate the lungs (all your organs really) and properly warm, cool & humidify the air that goes into them.
If his lungs were inflamed I think it's because they were being irritated by the lack of good air quality. Also imagine all the infections he may have gotten because of that. Many ENS Patients who have had turbinate operations
have dry, cold, needle like air that hits their nasopharynx and throat.
I remember in the fall of 2018 being terrified out of my mind every time i took a breath. Because of this. Every breath hurt me. And I could barely sense it.
I desperately spent that time figuring out what I was going to do,
how i was going to get by and function, how to fix this & my future. I couldn't focus that's how bad it was. And inevitable dropped out of school.
It was painful. And difficult to perform, although I still did, with grace and Super Saiyan energy. Every show became a test. I would get down on myself if symptoms were hitting me, or I didn't perform perfectly.
At that time I was seeing all kinds of doctors & still am.
So MJ Hiring one to live with him isn't that far fetched.
You can find any doctor that will go against the hippocratic oath. ESPECIALLY for $
So like Monk says:
Here's what happened...
Probably after x amount of procedures. Let's say somewhere down the line.. in the mid-late 80's... MJ was like... "Doc.. my breathing is worse & I'm trying to make it better or I need it to be" & the doctor is like "Michael it's because your nose is much smaller now, so if you want to improve your breathing i'm going to have to make it a bit bigger"
He said I can't have that. So he probably shopped around for opinions. One of these doctors (if not the same one) probably said to him: "Ok Michael, HERE'S how we can improve your breathing without changing the shape of your nose.. it's called a turbinate reduction - I won't make the outside bigger, I'll make the inside bigger.. and this will help you breathe and perform."
This probably seemed like a winning strategy for MJ... and the doctor too. Who probably made great money from this. I bet this doctor felt like a $uper hero... who had the answer he needed.
So Michael went in and had his turbinates reduced. How much? Whose to say.
I wish the autopsy looked. I'm sure they looked at his nose... but not far enough in to see the turbinates... They would have needed an endoscopy and ENT present.
Hypothetically he could have had a slight modification to the nose as well making it appear more narrow... But somewhere along the lines he had to have had his turbinates operated on... Doctors are so eager to do this for some reason because it's how they make money.
And back then they weren't as knowledgable or careful and didn't have the technology that we do today. So likely the procedure wasn't the safest.
And it was probably with a surgeon who was dancing around the OR to "I'm Bad"
(I kid but... you'd be surprised..)
It's not certain when these symptoms would have kicked in, whether not long after, a year, several? But we start seeing him wear a mask right around the year....
Let me check...
it's saying as early as 1986.
https://youtu.be/YGkSpdNAEZM
He is often seen wearing a mask to cover plastic surgery healing & it is said to keep germs away because of all the nasal procedures he has had. This was only in 1986, so he may very well have had a Turbinate surgery WAY BACK THEN! During his very first procedure, or 2nd or 3rd. Considering his first surgery was because of breathing issues.
Although it is said he used masks around fans & in public places to prevent germs & also protect his voice. This mask took pressure off & gave him space.
Also his struggle with Lupus & Vitiligo was another major reason.
There's a whole YouTube video by the Black Music Archives, who studies & does deep dives into the voice and technique of many singers. And the education in this video on how the nose plays a vital a role... was spot on. Michael needed his nose to sing, seeing as it's a major resonator space. He also needed his nose to breathe. His performances were very intense & high energy. Although many teachers do tell you not to over breathe because it doesn't do you any good, he likely was struggling for air. Michael being the amazing & talented performer was, was still able to do this despite all of his health issues. .
And he struggled in silence perhaps being too ashamed to share his health struggles too much.
Here is a video of him singing "Ben" in 1981, long before he went too far down the rabbit hole: https://youtu.be/_08vBfT-cr4
There seemed to be no issues here. In 1981 he had maybe only had 2 procedures and although making the nose smaller does effect your voice we aren't sure if those changes were noticable to anyone other than Michael.
Looking at ACTUAL Before Photo's it's hard to say...
But his first surgery was definitely in the mid-late 70's. And the 2nd (or 3rd) who knows at this point, was between 1980- 1983
Here is a Timeline showing Michael Jackson's ever changing appearance & what Michael would have looked like if he didn't get plastic surgery. It's very easy to say Michael Jackson had body dysmorphia & turned himself into the character he wanted to be. Would Michael have been a sensation if he hadn't had such a signature look? I'd like to think yes. But sadly I believe much of society is fixated and fascinated by appearance and a spectacle.
Many more Nose surgeries would take place from 1983 - 95'. Post Pepsi fiasco
Michael Jackson's Death:
The King of Pop passed away in 2009.
a lethal combination of sedatives and propofol, an anesthetic, ruled a homicide.
I also do believe other doctors killed Michael & those were his previous surgeons. They just weren't there to deliver the final blow.
By that point Michael was mitigating symptoms.
He needed a lot of rest. He wasn't properly getting it.
Artificial sleep doesn't fully count as sleep. It's only half as satiating.
And Michael experienced a plethora of pain, hence why he brought doctors with him on tour & pretty much had them on retainer.
The room Michael died in had Nasal breathing canula's, a heart monitor, many drugs, vials, and oxygen.
Whose to say a procedure from the late 70's early 80's didn't give him ENS OR more likely one of the many from the 80's-90's.
We'll never know,
However in his early rhinoplasties it was to improve his breathing & surgeries like that often comes with turbinate surgery.
He may have had even more turbinate surgery in between the 80's & 90's to further "help improve his breathing" ...
IF he would have stopped in 1983... He may never have developed it or at least his breathig may have not been as bad. Especially if he was dealing with Lupus.
But whose to say.
But again, Michael, ashamed, never spoke out, he wanted to appear super human in public. His doctors do not speak out much due to Hippa laws, rightfully so as medical information should be held absolutely private unless the patient wishes to disclose it. However in a public interview one doctor did claim he was suffering with ENS.
All it takes is 1 surgery. And due to the information we know now about ENS it is definitely from surgery TO the Turbinates. It's easy to speculate that Michael had 1-2 turbinate procedures at least.
Fortunately some in his camp said later in the 2000's he was trying to actually restore the shape of his nose to improve his breathing, taking his health more into consideration. As you can see here:
It would have been my hope that Michael would have gotten treatment.
Maybe eventually even implants and fixed his nose so that he could breathe better and live a healthier happier life doing what he was so good at.
I definitely have spread a lot of awareness about this condition in the 6 years i've had it. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on. But Treatment helped.
Although I am sick often, if it weren't for treatment I'd be dead. My nose is very collapsed however & I will need to repair it and likely do so with ENS/nose specialist Dr. Jang in Korea. I can only imagine how Michael's nose was. Granted I am a small female. He was a man of completely different ethnicity and surgically made his nose look like Kris Jenner's.... He erased his ethnicity. Like me, I know what that feels like, not quite as bad obviously.
But i remember when I was younger shopping around for nose surgeon's, most who turned me down, and I was so eager to do this that I went to another state.
But I will never forget ... this one woman who was a plastic surgeon said "I wouldn't... you don't want to look like a WASP". lmaooooo
I couldn't believe she said that. Looking back, she was right. Sadly back then, everyone who was different wanted to erase their ethnic differences and all look the same. It wasn't until.. well THIS YEAR, that people are like "everyone looks the same and it's boring and we're over it" & started to embrace originality.
But anyways...
Medical Malpractice sadly killed Michael.
It's no surprise.. a man with money who is desperate for surgery.
The U.S Healthcare System (one based on capitalism) kills between 200,000 to 400,000 people PER YEAR (More than Guns!)
Medical Malpractice is the 3RD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH!
Not only the doctor that was giving Michael Propofol but all the doctors prior that got him to that point.
I believe it's every humans right to have as many surgeries or procedures they see fit or necessary. And I am sure many many doctors have tried to stop him OR turned him away. But the doctors from the late 80's - 2000's were absolutely taking advantage of him and his money.
Regardless, It is astounding to see all he accomplished despite being a cripple (a nasal cripple) & fighting all the health battles he did.
We may never know truthfully just how much he was suffering or if this condition caused him much grief.. but if you can't breathe.. it effects your sleep... and if Michael was needing to hook up to I.V's & Oxygen to sleep
than it's easy as 1,2,3 to say.. something was going on.
Let me know your thoughts!
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