Would a tip plasty or alarplasty reduce the width and droopy appearance of the lower portion of my nose? (photo)

Question

Looking to only fix the tip - specifically the width of lower 1/3 (nostrils) and the downturned triangle like look.

Tanveer Janjua, MD · Answer

The lower portion of the nose will appear more defined with the combination of alarplasty and tip-plasty will work. The upper half of the nose looks good. 
Alarplasty is a very fine and quick procedure that can narrow the nostrils and reduce the flare to soften the appearance. It has other names as well like ‘Weir Excisions’ or ‘Nostril Reduction’. It can be done under local anesthesia. The social down time is about a week. If you want to work from home you can start it the next day. For the procedure you are evaluated to determine how much of a change is needed. In the past surgeons had recommended 2mm to 5mm reduction. This was measured by drawing a vertical line at the lateral sides of the nostrils (alae). However, I prefer to use a mirror and Q-tips to show the patient how much of a change can be accomplished. Pushing with Q-tips from the sides can mimick the change. Patient can also pinch their upper lip near the base of the nose and will show them how much narrowing to expect. I try to quantify the change as small, medium and large. Rarely it can be extra large as well. I always advise the patients to be conservative in the change as it is an irreversible procedure. The procedure historically did not get a lot of attention in plastic surgery. It was always thought of an adjunct procedure done with a rhinoplasty. Historically most ethnic groups did not get rhinoplasties. Hence, the caucasian rhinoplasty was the main procedure that plastic surgeons were trained on. 15 years ago I started making videos on the procedure and putting them on YouTube. In my blogs I started using the term 'Alarplasty' as most doctors and patients were using the term nostril reduction or Weir Excisions. I started noticing that over years the term 'Alarplasty' became popular among patients as well. Today, most patients use the term freely and know a lot about the procedure. I am very excited to see this evolution over the years. My African American patients were especially happy to learn that you can make the nose look small without having to do a full rhinoplasty. Many of them noticed that every plastic surgeon they went to offered a full rhinoplasty. 
In summary, Alarplasty is a unique procedure in itself and hopefully more surgeons get trained in it and help more people.
You can visit our alarplasty website to learn all about it. 
Click on the video link below to see the details.
Regards
Dr. J

Eric M. Joseph, MD · Answer

We're looking to achieve a narrower nasal tip appearance with a less droopy tip appearance, please consider meeting with several reputable rhinoplasty specialists so you could see what to expect after surgery. Thank you for your question, and I hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Dr Joseph

Kenneth R. Francis, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear Resourceful,
Your photo is limited in what we can interpret from it.  It does look like your bony nasal vault may not need adjustment and a tip rhinoplasty might be the way to go.  The nostril reduction may, or may not be necessary after in person examination.  Good luck!

Would a tip plasty or alarplasty reduce the width and droopy appearance of the lower portion of my nose? (photo)

Answers (3)

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