[Nose Surgery] Is It Possible to Reduce a Bulbous Nose with Alar Reduction? Yes or No?

Hello.

This is April 31 Plastic Surgery.

Today, we’ll talk about alar reduction surgery and spend some time on Q&A about it.

What is alar surgery?

When the nasal tip is low and spread outward, with wide nostrils that flare sideways, it can give a puffy impression.

Alar surgery uses a heart-shaped excision and a surgical method suited to the cause of the spread nasal tip, reducing the size of the alar and nostrils to complete a refined nasal tip shape.

What are the surgical methods by type of alar reduction?

type01.

Full incision of the spread alar

The effect of alar reduction is good, but the drawback is that scars may remain.

Full incision of the spread alar

type02.

Inside-the-nose incision

The scar is not visible, but compared with a full incision that reduces the entire alar, the effect may be less.

Inside-the-nose incision

type03.

Diamond incision

This method involves excising a diamond shape from the lower part of the nostril, then narrowing and suturing it closed.

Diamond incision

The most ideal alar reduction is, depending on the degree to which the alar is spread, carefully adjusting how much of the base of the nostril is trimmed down, and if possible, choosing an incision line that is not visible from the outside while performing a heart-shaped excision that helps keep the shape of the base of the nostril rounded.

For more effective results, a method that reduces the tissue by passing sutures through it may also be performed at the same time.

Alar reduction Q&A

Q1. I’m worried about scars from the outer incision in alar reduction!

When people talk about alar scars, there are probably two aspects they are curious about.

1. Whether the incision is made inside the nostril or outside the nostril

2. Whether the surgical scar ultimately becomes thick or wide and does not stand out too much

First, to explain the location or shape of the incision, depending on various factors such as the width, shape, and proportion of the alar, as well as the shape, relationship, and proportion of the nasal tip in relation to the alar,

we decide the surgical design by considering these various conditions. As a result, there are cases where the incision line can be placed only inside the nostril, and cases where it is exposed outside the nose.

Not only for alar scars, but for all surgical scars, three factors are important.

First, based on the surgeon’s operative method, the wound should not be forcibly stitched under tension.

Second is the patient’s skin tendency. Depending on the person, even the same stimulus can cause a tendency to form keloids or hypertrophic scars.

Third is minimizing irritation during the period until the scar finally settles.

Wounds go through stages called inflammation, proliferation, and maturation, and are ultimately remodeled and settled. At this time, if irritation to the wound is minimized, the scar will form more thinly and be less noticeable.

Q2. One month after bulbous nose surgery, is it possible to have only alar reduction reoperation?

Alar reduction can be performed together with nose surgery that changes the internal structure, or it can be performed separately.

If the alar occupies too much of the overall nose or if the nostril area is wide, we tend to perform alar reduction together with nose surgery.

As the nose becomes higher through nose surgery, we estimate how much the sideways width of the alar will naturally decrease, and if it is not necessary, we either do not recommend the surgery or explain in advance that it is fine to decide after about 2 to 3 months, once the shape of the nose surgery has settled.

Reducing the widely spread alar and the width of the nostrils to complete the nasal tip perfectly is the key point of alar reduction.

The most important thing here is to make the decision through sufficient consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who can accurately assess your condition and perform the appropriate surgical method. That is the shortcut to achieving results without regret.