Alar base reduction for 14 yr old girl; is it too young?

Question

My 14 years old daughter is a laughing stalk for having big Asian nose and it widens when she smiles. We're thinking for doing alar base reduction, but afraid she's a little too young for it. Is it okay for her to do the simple nip on her nostrils?

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

For females, surgery can be considered at 14-15 years of age if she has reached her adult height.  If she has yet to hit her growth spurt, or is still growing, then it is better to wait until she has reached her full height.

Al Farabi L. Jaafar, MD · Answer

I would wait for her to reach adulthood and sign her own consent. The face also develops and changes in form and shape as the child grows. A simple trim or alar base reduction may not suffice as this procedure will further pull down the nose tip. For a better outcome, the choice should be combination of augmentation rhinoplasty plus alar base reduction.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Sorry to hear about your daughter being bullied.  Kids can be very cruel. I think at 14 she is probably a tad too young.  I would wait until she is about 15 or so when she has reached adult height and is no longer growing before considering any kind of nasal surgery.

Alar base reduction for 14 yr old girl; is it too young?

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Alar base reduction for 14 yr old girl; is it too young?

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Everything you need to know about Alarplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.