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Can a Nostril Wedge Excision Be Performed on my Nose?

asked 1 year ago by Vancouver2036 in Vancouver
Latest answer by Brian Maloney, MD
Question viewed 819 times
Tags: nostrils, male, excision, flared, wedge

Hi there, I had an open rhinoplasty about 1 month ago now. Bulbous tip reduced, tip rotated upward and Alar base reduced with a Sill excision. After removing the cast I noticed my nostrils still retained the flare they had before the surgery, granted my nostrils were smaller they retained the same flared shape. He said a Wedge excision could not be done on my nose because of the way my nostrils inserted into my face (my nose lacked a nostril overhang he said). Is he correct?

17 answers to Can a Nostril Wedge Excision Be Performed on my Nose?

Nostril narrowing.

Your surgery looks fine and it will get better in 6-12 months as the swelling recedes. You should not need any further surgery and not before then.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Timing for Nasal base resection

At one month it is very difficult, if not impossible to make any assessment of the final shape of the nose. It appears that you are off to a good start. I would recommend waiting one year and if you still have concerns then peform a simple procedure in the office. Assymetries are common at one month. They will often balance out as the swelling resolves. If you reach the year mark and the left nostril still flares a little. The weirs procedure could be performed on just that side. Hang in... more

Brian Maloney, MD
Atlanta Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nostril Wedge Excision

It's only been 1 month since your surgery - you know swelling is present. If you want, reconsider alar base narrowing with your surgeon after you see the final result.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Alar base nasal revision surgery

Your appearance is excellent, especially for one month. It appears that in addition to the open rhinoplasty incision you may already have incisions at the alar bases that are healed. Patients who chase perfection will end up with a lot of surgeries and not much perfection.

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Alar base reduction by wedge resections.

A decision to reduce the nostrils is based on the width of the eyes.From these pictures it is hard to make the comparison.SInce it is very early after the surgery I'll give it about 6 months to recover from surgery and if the alar base remains wider than the palpebral aperture width I'll consider resection.

Erel Laufer, M.D.
Tampa Plastic Surgeon

Too hard to tell from these photos

A very important aspect ot consider when narrowing the nostrils is the width of your eyes and the distance between your eyes. Without those to see it is hard to tell. In general a wedge excision can be done with very inconspicuous scars left behind.

Farzad R Nahai, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Wedge resection

1 month is too soon to tell what your final nasal shape will be. I'd give it a little time before you rush in to another surgery. It will take a few months before you will see the final result. Continue to see your rhinoplasty surgeon. After 6 mo - 1yr passes and you still feel that your ala are too big, you can have another discussion with him/her about doing a small wedge resection. Dr. Cat Begovic M.D.

Catherine Huang-Begovic, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nostril Flare Reduction With Wedge Resections As A Secondary Rhinoplasty Revision

Further alar reduction can be done but at the 'price' of potentially more visible scars at the alar base. I would give what appears to be a good early result much more time to heal and you adjust to the new nose look. If the amount of alar flare is still bothersome at 6 months after surgery, then you should discuss with your plastic surgeon the adviseability of further alar base modification.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com

Can a Nostril Wedge Excision Be Performed on my Nose?

Yes, a wedge excision can be performed, but I think it is prudent for you to allow more healing to take place before pursuing this. Also keep in mind that, from the frontal view, there is a balance between the width of the nasal tip and width of the ala. If you reduce the ala too much it may make your nasal tip look less refined. Things to keep in mind.

Anand D. Patel, MD
Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.freshfaceaustin.com

Repeat wedge excision on nostril PHOTOS

The wedge excision could be performed but the angle that your nostril forms with your cheek/lip will make the incision more visible. You could benefit from an alar cinching suture to bring the soft tissues of the base closer together.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Removing a nostril wedge to reduce flare

There are many ways to pattern alar base reduction to adjust nostril size, flare, alar thickness, and nostril height. So far your results look very well, and at the least you should give things a chance to heal in and soften and test out the new look. With the thought of a second surgical adjustment, very good might become just right. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Nostril Flare Correction

Thank you for the pictures, it really helps. It looks like you have a nice result at this time, however, I did not see the before pictures. Some of the issues you have raised can be considered "fine tuning" that can be done when your nose is stable from the first procedure. Give the tissue six months to soften to see how every thing heals. After that time you can see if you want to do the alar base resection to correct the nostril flare. Best... more

Marcus L. Peterson, MD
Saint George Plastic Surgeon

Wedge Excision of Alar Base

Hi Van, You may have a small wedge excision or an another way of addressing your flared nostrils would be with an alar rim graft (would involve more surgery). In either case, you should wait at least 6 months and discuss your concerns with your rhinoplasty surgeon. Good luck and be well. Dr. P

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nostril Wedge Resection

Hi, You 'll notice that your nostril are uneven at this point. You can have a wedge resection but the nostril asymmetry may increase. As long as you are willing to take that risk then you can have a wedge resection. Best, Dr.S.

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Alar bas excision

You may be a candidate for an alar based excision, but I would wiat 6 months to a year from the original surgery.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Wedge Resection of Nostrils

Simply put, the width of your alar base could be further reduced. However, I would recommend that the soonest time to consider further surgery is 9 months to 1 year postoperatively.