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Quick-fix Nose Job?

I have seen new articles detailing a procedure that basically deals primarily with decreasing nostril width, and not so much with breaking bones of the nose? I have been told that this is a popular alternative to traditional rhinoplasty in ethnic communities? does this procedure exist, and if so what are the major differences in how the procedure is conducted?

Asked 39 months ago by luvleelana in san jose CA

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minimally invasive quick

Nostril Width Correction

My understanding of your question is: Do I need a full rhinoplasty if my only concern is nostril width? The answer to that question is usually no. I always start the rhinoplasty consultation asking the patient what they don't like about their nose. Surgeon must be careful not to impose our standard of beauty on our clients. Not all patients want a caucasian-looking nose. This is why I think morphing is such an important tool when communicate with patients. While the nose is composed of... more

Daniel Reichner, MD

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

If that is the only problem with the nose

Reducing the alar width can benefit some patients in whom the only problem is wide nostrils. It is in fact an excellent procedure. Of course caution is necessary not to overreduce the nostrils, creating a "cannon" effect of the nose, with thick nostrils but not enough lumen. Alar base reduction can also cause a notched, unnatural appearance to the nostrils if not performed correctly. A skilled rhinoplasty surgeon will best be able to explain these procedures and their effect on the... more

Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Reducing Nostril Width

It is possible to reduce width of the nostrils using a couple of techniques; one involves incisions in the crease at the base of the nostrils. Most importantly, the choice of technique should be the result of careful individual analysis by an expert taking your entire nose and face into consideration.

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Quick Rhinoplasty or Minimally Invasive Rhinoplasty

Respectfully, I would have to disagree with the panel on this one. A rhinoplasty procedure performed by an experienced plastic surgeon takes into account countless procedures individualized for the specific anatomic subunits of the nose. In the initial assesment of your nose, I would assess the individual anatomic subunits of your nasal profile in the lateral, oblique, and anteroposterior planes and assess your individual anatomic, structural, and functional needs. In many cases, a patient... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Not really!

It is very hard to "fix" a small area of the nose without creating problems elsewhere. The nose is a 3-dimensional tripod structure. To reduce it in one area without balancing the other areas would create facial disharmony. You can't necessarily perform alar base procedures that won't change tip dynamics. Be careful when someone offers you a "quick fix" procedure. Your nose is out there for all to see. It has to match your other facial features, so don't take any... more

Manish H. Shah, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Alar base reduction

The procedure that you describe sounds like alar base reduction. In some ethnic noses, this can be a beneficial procedure. A couple of words of warning: 1) The procedure is not for everyone. For some people, reducing the width of the nose can produce a poor cosmetic result when done alone. In addition, some people have what appears to be a wide nostril when in fact it is not wide, it is just not tall enough. Alar base reduction would not be the answer in this case. 2) Be ware of too much... more

D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

Be cautious about anything advertised as a "Quick Fix"

When considering surgery on your body, I would caution you to watch out for anything advertised as a "Quick Fix." This is even more important for Rhinoplasty. The nose is very complex and you should do considerable research before letting just anyone operate on you. The nose has several underlying parts contributing to the external appearance. There is the bone and the cartilage which both contribute to the hight and width of the nose. The nostril width to which you refer is made up by... more

David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Decreasing nostril width

Narrowing the nostrils is one of the most complex elements of rhinoplasty and the surgical technique and expertise required cannot be minimized. It is by no means a quick fix and requires serious consideration and discussion.

Robert L. Kraft, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Quick Fix Nose Jobs

There is no such thing as a “quick fix nose job” as a rhinoplasty requires surgical finesse to permanently improve nasal shape and contour. However, one can temporarily enhance nasal shape and contour with the use of soft tissue fillers that are FDA approved and work quite well even up to a couple of years. I highly recommend the use of hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane. They are very safe FDA approved fillers that last a long time in the subcutaneous layer. I... more

Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Rhinoplasty to narrow nasal base

Pure narrowing of the nostrils is called “alar base narrowing” or the “Weir” procedure. It can be performed under purely local anesthesia or with a mild oral sedative, with all incisions made inside the nostrils. It permits mild to moderate narrowing of the nasal base, resulting in what for many people is a less “ethnic” appearing nose.

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Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD

Miami Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nostril Reduction Alone or With Rhinoplasty

There are patients who will benefit from an alar base procedure alone, and not need additional work on the rest of the nose. The key here is to make sure that your nose will be in balance after the procedure. In some cases, the patient's nasal structure, such as an underprojected tip, can cause the nostrils to flair out, and a formal rhinoplasty with or without alar base reduction is the better option. Alar base procedures can be done safely in an office setting.... more

Anil R. Shah, MD

Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon

Cookie Cutter Nose Jobs

Beware and cast a suspicious eye on marketing geared towards "fast and easy" rhinoplasty surgery. Rhinoplasty surgery is one of the most tedious and technically difficult operations that we as plastic surgeons perform. No two noses are the same and no two patients are the same even if their noses look alike. Every patient has personal goals and needs; rhinoplasty surgery, when performed well, creates a balanced, beautiful facial feature that is in balance with the entirety of... more

John Philip Connors III, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Do not seek out a quick fix if it is not best for you.

Most patients will benefit from a balanced, complete rhinoplasty. This is important, as whenever one particular aspect of a nose is changed, another aspect will be affected. There are some occasions; however, when someone may benefit from a 'non-surgical' rhinoplasty or only a 'tip rhinoplasty'. This is not the norm however.

Sanjay Grover MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Quick fix

There are no short cuts to quality. If you want limited changes, less surgery will be done. Beware of offers that sound too good to be true if you have a desire for significant changes to your nose.

Stuart H. Bentkover, MD

Worcester Facial Plastic Surgeon

Reducing nostril width is a quick Rhinoplasty procedure called an Alar Reduction

If the only desire is to decrease nostril width and not alter the nasal tip or the bridge, than there is a quick procedure to fix this problem. It involves making a small incision in the groove between the nostril and the cheek and removing some of the excess nostril skin, making the nose narrower. The incision is well hidden and not apparent. There is minimal bruising and incisions need to be camouflaged with makeup in the early phases.

Andrew Jacono, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nothing in Life (And Rhinoplasty) is Simple

As with most things in life, there are no short cuts in rhinoplasty. Don't be fooled by gimicky "sales" tactics or promises of a "quick fix". Nostril reduction surgery (called Alarplasty / Alar Base Reduction) is a procedure that can narrow the width of the nostril base, decrease the amount of nostril flaring, and/or decrease the size of the nostrils. This can be performed alone, or in conjunction with reshaping of the other parts of the nose with a formal rhinoplasty... more

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C. Spencer Cochran, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

Some noses only require a "quick fix"

Since noses come in virtually all shapes and sizes, there are some noses that only require a limited amount of work to look great. Nostril size reduction or hump reduction are just 2 maneuvers that can constitute a rhinoplasty. What is done simply depends on the nose and what change the patient desires. My advice is to steer away from injectable rhinoplasty since the results are too variable and can actually cause long-term skin changes. A great rhinplasty (whether quick or not) should... more

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Randolph Capone, MD

Baltimore Facial Plastic Surgeon

Quick Answer....Yes there is a "quick-fix" nose job

Patients can achieve subtle, yet remarkable results with non-surgical and "limited" rhinoplasty. In my practice, we see numerous patients from all ethnic backgrounds seeking to refine their nose and characteristics - not change them. Small changes can make a big difference. Non-surgical rhinoplasty is performed by using long-lasting dermal fillers (Restylane, Juvederm, Elevess, etc) to build up the bridge of the nose, camouflage small humps, and elongate the dorsum. The... more

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David Mabrie, MD

Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

Narrowing nose width easier than completely changing nose appearance

Narrowing the width of the nose is much easier than changing the whole appearance of the nose. This technique usually requires less complicated approaches and is less susceptible of undergoing scarring that could lead to changes that can alter the appearance of the nose. This is not the case when the surgeon works on the tip and to a lesser degree when he works on the nasal bridge. Importantly, you definitely don't want to fit the person into a particular procedure. You want the procedures... more

Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Depends on what you want done

As a plastic surgeon, I try to meet the patient's requests and not necessarily my own. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Too often in the past, there have been ideals or canons established which establish and tell us the goals of surgery but not meet the patient's desires. For example, attempting to make the asian eyelid appeary more causcasian or the black nose more similar to a caucasian nose. A rhinoplasty or nose job can consist of 20-30 different steps that each accomplish a... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

There is no quick fix nose job

There is no quick fix nose job. There are some minor procedures that can be done on the nostrils whereby a small wedge excision of nostril tissue is removed and the nostrils can be simply narrowed. This does nothing for the tip, the dorsal aesthetic line, or with the bridge. These are called Weir excisions and can be performed as a standalone procedure if needed. It is rare to have a nose that only needs Weir excisions for nostril reduction.

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William Portuese, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Ethnic Rhinoplasties

In my practice we see a good number of ethnic rhinoplasty patients (primarily Asian and African American), and I have yet to see a patient who was a good candidate for any of the "Quick Fix Nose Job" procedures. As Dr. Moelleken and Dr. Shah point out - these techniques usually involve injection of dermal filler to create temporary improvements in balance. These techniques are more challenging in many ethnic patients because the dermis can be thicker. And as always, short cuts... more

Steven H. Williams, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

No good plastic surgery comes in a "quick fix"

Rhinoplasty is very complex surgery and takes many forms depending on what the problem is with the nose. No rhinoplasty is simple because each maneuver the surgeon makes can have multiple effects on the nose. Ethnic rhinoplasty is especially complex because of certain features that different ethnic groups have. So beware of anyone calling anything about rhinoplasty a "quick fix."

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Quick fix, perpetual headache.

The procedure that you are referring to is known as an alar base reduction. If your nostril width or shape is the ONLY thing that concerns you about your nose, then this may be the quick fix for you. It is not meant to address other problems with the nose, such as humps, septal deviations, large nasal tips. Your board certified plastic surgeon will help you determine what effects such a procedure would have on your nasal tip and the rest of your nasal structure. Good luck! more

Kenneth R. Francis, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

May be an option if all you need to fix is thin nostrils

If all you need to fix is nostril width, then this is a good option for you, and should only take about ten days to heal. If its anything other than nostril width that is causing the problem (a bump in the nose caused by bone, etc) then you will have to get traditional rhinoplasty surgery.