This 21-year-old Chinese man has made his nose crooked after years of sleeping on his stomach and pushing it to one side, causing nasal problems including problems smelling.

Zheng, 21, lives in the city of Yinchuan in the Chinese autonomous region of Ningxia.

Local sources recently said that Zheng has poor sleeping posture due to sleeping on his stomach since he was a little boy, which has put undue pressure on his nose.

With time, it has caused Zheng’s nose to slowly start tilting to one side. Besides the obvious aesthetic effects, the crooked nose also causes the 21-year-old man other nasal problems, including hyposmia, which is the difficulty to smell, severe nasal congestions and others.

Zheng also sleeps with his mouth open due to difficulty breathing but it was not specified if that was also related to his poor sleeping posture and the subsequent deformation of his nose.

According to Chinese news site Baidu, Zheng was not concerned about his crooked nose or nasal problems until he found it was an issue when trying to meet a woman with whom he could settle down.

Several girlfriends found his nose to be a problem so he decided to get some professional help.

Zheng visited several hospitals as he needed procedures to correct the tilt he created on his nose, but he also needed to undergo procedures to improve his breathing.

He eventually ended up at the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University which was the first medical centre in the region to perform such a procedure.

Zheng underwent surgery, carried out by Deputy Chief Physician of Otorhinolaryngology Yan Xiaohui, with successful results.

Dr Xiaohui and his team performed an endoscopic nasal cavity expansion and rhinoplasty in the same operation.

A second picture shows Zheng after the procedure as his nose can be seen in a much more natural position on his face.

Dr Xiaohui said crooked noses like Zheng’s are clinically common and have different causes, including accidents during sport.

The doctor reminded parents to keep a close eye on their children’s sleeping postures and to correct them when needed.

He added that people who engage in sports such as basketball and football should purchase equipment to protect their nose in much the same way they protect their wrists or ankles.