Rhinoplasty Q&A
80%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
1,002 Reviews
Rhinoplastybefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average Rhinoplasty Cost: $5,975

Learn about Rhinoplasty

5,047 people and 803 doctors are talking about Rhinoplasty

Get Free Email Updates

Thinner Upper Lip from Alar Cinch Suture?

asked 3 years ago by delilah in CA
Latest answer by Philip Young, MD
Question viewed 778 times
Tags: nose, upper lip

My understanding is that an alar cinch suture Rhinoplasty has nothing to do with cutting, that it just pulls skin together. But when you pinch your alar even a little bit, your upper lip gets thinner by a mm; the more you pinch the alars together, the thinner your upper lip becomes because it pushes it downward. Is it then safe to assume that an alar cinch suture will have the same affect?

2 answers to Thinner Upper Lip from Alar Cinch Suture?

+1

An alar cinch procedure can have a mild effect on lengthening the lips

An alar cinch can effect the way the lips look. It does this by increasing the volum of the middle of the nose, and upper lip. To avoid affecting your lips you may consider different type of procedures around the alae to change the way they look. There are different procedures that involve some minimal incisional techniques that can be done on the sides of the alae to improve their appearance that are lower risk and fast in recovery. You should definitely go to someone with a lot of... more
Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Not necessarily.

 When the pinching suture is done the surgeon may redirect the forces to lengthen the projection of the nose instead of bunching of the lip.
Toby Mayer, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question