Nasal Asymmetry

Persistent deviation of your septum or asymmetry of the tip cartilages may have caused your  problem. An experienced surgeon could  improve the appearance of your very thick uneven tip as well as improve your nasal breathing.

We are often asked by patients whether nostril asymmetry can be corrected. This is something that often really bothers people a lot even though they know that no one else really sees their nostrils on a regular basis (except for maybe the family pet). The answer depends on the cause of the asymmetry.

Much of the time, it is caused by asymmetry of the cartilages that make up the tip of the nose. You can be born this way but, more often than not, it happens from over-aggressive previous surgery. In this case, fixing the cartilage problems will go a long way towards improving nostril symmetry.

Sometimes, one nostril is just naturally smaller or shaped differently than the other one. The nostrils can be made to appear more similar in size and shape, but they may not be made perfectly symmetrical. This is usually cosmetically acceptable because noses and faces aren’t naturally perfectly symmetrical. So, the goal is to have every aspect of your nose look nice, natural, internally balanced, harmonious with other features and unoperated upon.

When there is a major difference in nostril symmetry, such as in someone with a cleft lip and palate, deficient bone and soft tissue is often responsible. In these situations, we have to do a lot of work including grafting to get things looking more similar. But, even in these cases, improvements can be had.

We encourage you to discuss your particular concerns with your surgeon directly, so you can be evaluated individually.

Hello,

In most cases an expert rhinoplastic surgeon can correct asymmetric nostrils. The method used to accomplish the correction depends upon the diagnosis of why they are different.

Remember, it is not the "rhinoplasty" that corrects the asymmetry, but the experienced, skilled rhinoplastic surgeon. Take the time to choose your surgeon most carefully.

Be well and good luck.

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Very often patients have asymmetry of the nostrils due to the crooked end of the septum pushing into one side of the nostrils. A rhinoplasty specialist will be able to correct this problem, usually by removing the deviated part of the end of the septum and restoring the symmetry of the nostrils.

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Assymetry of the nose, or elements of the nose, including the nostrils, tip, columella, dorsum, or bony hump are caused by the underlying support mechanism and cartilaginous architecture. 

In most cases, as in yours, there is an obvious asymmetry caused by malpositioning of the cartilaginous support units of the nose. To correct, I would advise undergoing an open rhinoplasty to assess nasal tip support and architecture. This will identify normal elements and deficient cartilaginous elements and allow visualization of the deforming units of the nose.

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