Would alar base reduction be useless without doing some work with the nose bridge as well?

Hello and thank you for your question. Based on your
photograph, you may benefit from a tip refining rhinoplasty. Your surgeon can
accomplish this by trimming, suturing, and reshaping the cartilage in your
lower nose. You may also benefit from an alar base reduction.  In order to give you accurate advise regarding your nasal dorsum, a true lateral profile picture would be helpful.  Make sure you specifically look at before and after
pictures of real patients who have had this surgery performed by your surgeon
and not just a computer animation system. The most important
aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek
consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate
you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

An alar base reduction can be performed as a procedure alone, or in combination with a Rhinoplasty. This should be discussed with your surgeon as there are many factors that will come into consideration and we would need to look at your nose from all angles. If you do not have a clear idea of the result you'd like, a 3D simulation consultation might be helpful... we offer this at our 111Harley St. clinic.

Dear santalos5,it is hard to tell without an examination. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

As others have said, it is likely that you will require some type of procedure on the nasal bones to bring them in.  This is all about keeping proportions.  You need to think about the nose as one unit and not break it down too much.  I would even say your current nasal ala match your nasal bridge well and would be worsened with only an alar reduction.  For every rhinoplasty patient, whether first timers or revision cases, I will produce imaging that will simulate what is possible.  Although there is no guarantee of a 100% match, it does help some people visualize the concept better, so that you can make an informed decision that you will be happy with.

Thank you for your photo. The alar base reduction can reduce width and flaring of the nostrils. However, it will proportionally make your bridge seem wider as well. Often times, with any work on the nose, other areas have to be adjusted to keep aesthetic balance within the rest of the nose. It is best to have an in-office examination to determine how your nose will change and what the best treatment plan to achieve your goals is. Hope this helps!Johnson C. Lee, MD Plastic Surgery@drjohnsonlee

Alar base reduction by itself will narrow the nostrils but if the tip and bridge are not refined the whole nose will just look bigger.  Based on this photo, ABR alone is not enough. Hope that helps. Best wishes.

Alar base reduction can be performed as an isolated procedure and even under local anesthesia. It all depends on the overall nasal contour and shape. Sometimes narrowing the base without the tip will create a disproportion.  An in person examination will be necessary to make that analysis and recommendation.

Every nose is
different and unique to that individual. If the appearance of your nose
concerns you enough to do something about it, it can be improved with a natural
artistically performed rhinoplasty. What would be the best option and exact
procedure (alar base reduction alone or full rhinoplasty) would depend on an in person examination (not just an online
consultation) and discussion about desired outcome.
Keep in mind that following advice from a surgeon on this or any other website
who proposes to tell you exactly what to do and how technically to do
it based on two dimensional photos without examining you, physically
feeling your tissue, assessing your desired outcome, taking a full medical
history and discussing the pros and cons of the operative procedure would not
be in your best interest. Natural appearing results need to be individualized
and what is appropriate for one patient is not necessarily the best for someone
else. I would suggest that you find a surgeon with extensive rhinoplasty
experience certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and one who is
ideally a member of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) or facial plastic surgeon (otolaryngologist)  that you trust and are comfortable with. You should discuss your concerns with that
surgeon in person.
Robert Singer, M.D., FACS
La Jolla, California

 An alar base reduction is also known as an alar-plasty. This can be performed as a standalone procedure which would just narrow the nostrils from the base  view. It is a very partial rhinoplasty procedure. It can also be performed under local anesthesia. To narrow the bridgeline requires osteotomies placed  in the nasal bones which is performed under general anesthesia. For more information and many before and after rhinoplasty examples, please see the link and the video below

From your photograph it is my strong feeling that the width of your bridge needs narrowing to balance your nose and to make it likely that you will be happy with the outcome of your cosmetic rhinoplasty.  Imaging of your photographs can show you the changes with or without alteration of your bridge and should be fairly convincing.  Of course our goal is to provide a natural looking result with good proportioning and balance.  You of course do not want people to feel it is obvious that you have undergone rhinoplasty, but equally important is not having people feel that you need a rhinoplasty despite having had one!  Please watch the video above for further information that you may find helpful and best wishes,Jon A Perlman M.D., FACSDiplomate, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)ABC-TV Extreme Makeover SurgeonBeverly Hills, CaliforniaIG: jonperlmanmd