The size of a pensioner’s nose made it impossible for him to snog his sweetheart and drink pints.

Gerard McAliece, 68, felt humiliated due to the deformity rhinophyma, which caused his enormous nose to cover half of his face.

The grandfather from Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, claimed that cruel children would make fun of him whenever he left the house.

But eventually, after years of pain, his wife Carol persuaded him to consult cosmetic specialists, who were able to restore the nose to its natural size.

Gerard said, “It just kept growing and growing and, as much as possible, I tried to ignore it. People began to stare, and some would turn away.”

“The great thing was that my wife Carol and I hadn’t told the family that I was going in for the procedure.”

So, when they saw me again for the first time, the surprise was complete.”

“They were totally taken aback”.

The growth of sebaceous glands in the nose and underlying connective tissue is the source of the disorder, which primarily affects older, white men.

It causes the skin to become extremely swollen, lumpy, and red.

However, Gerard’s nose tissue grew so much that it covered a significant portion of his face and hung down over his mouth.

Because he was afraid of being stared at or teased, it became so terrible that it affected his social life.

He saw an NHS doctor, but he didn’t get the assistance he required.

Gerard, who worked at IBM in Greenock for 30 years, said, “In retrospect, the younger kids were the worst.”

“I mean no harm to them, but they have no guile at that age, and no filters.”

“I used to really worry at my grandchildren’s birthday parties – what do their wee pals think?”

“When I went to the doctor it was a locum that I saw. After that I didn’t discuss it with my GP as I didn’t think they would do anything about it, as they would deem it as cosmetic.”

“I am not a pushy person and I don’t expect things to be done for me. There are more important things going on.”

Gerard claimed he hadn’t been “able to properly kiss” his wife for over six years of suffering.

Additionally, he found it difficult to drink pints because his nose would clog and become plastered with froth.

After that, his fiancée took him to Glasgow’s Ever Clinic to consult with aesthetic specialists.

Gerard said: “They said it was the biggest job that they had ever tackled and that it was going to be a real challenge.”

“The result has been fantastic. It has totally turned my life around. Carol says that I am back to being the man that I used to be.”

“I am now talking to people, going for a pint and enjoying meals out in restaurants, which we haven’t done for years.”

Jonathan Toye, managing director at Ever Clinic, added, “Gerard was easily the most advanced case of rhinophyma we’ve seen.”