Is there a way to prevent the nose from stretching wide when smiling?

Hello ! A great deal of what you see depends on your anatomy around your nose AND your expectations. You have received some good options. If you use a neurotoxin it may work but can impact other features of your smile you like. If you have surgery, you may look better while smiling but may not like what you you look like when you are not smiling. One's smile is dynamic and surgery provides a static change. It is best that you seek a face to face consultation so that your board certified doctor can explain this in greater detail. 

Excision of the alar base can narrow the nasal tip.  Also, alar cinching sutures can further reduce this width.  These procedures are often combined with a formal rhinoplasty procedure. 

Thank you for your question. It would be helpful to review pictures of what bothers you. The open Rhinoplasty procedure can provide access to the underlying structure of your nose for a very predictable approach to reshaping your nose. I suggest that you move forward and consult with a board certified facial plastic surgeon.Best wishes,

alarplasty can help.  The nose still widens when you smile but less.  I tend to avoid external incisions with alar base reduction and use a sill incision that is mostly hidden inside the nose with only mild noticeablity when looking at the face.  It's will improve things quite a bit but remember the nose still widens some even after surgery 

A full set of photographs at rest and smiling are required to make a determination about what can be accomplished with a rhinoplasty procedure.  Wide nostrils can be reduced within an alar-plasty at rest. At the time  of the rhinoplasty procedure, releasing of the smile muscles to the base attachment of the nose can improve the amount widening thst occurs with  smiling, but it's only improvement, not a prevention.

Hello there, thank you for your question. There are two options to consider: the first is trying a small dose of botox to weaken the nasal dilators and the second option is to consider a rhinoplasty with reduction of the ala and nostrils. Botox to the dilators of the nose is a bit of a more advanced injection, but an experienced injector should be able to counsel you in that regards. It would be temporary and you would see how it felt without making a permanent change. Hope this helps!

Thank you for your question. It's unfortunate that you feel like you can't smile in front of people. The phenomenon of widening nose with smiling is natural. It has to do with your mouth and face muscle streching horizontal and pulling on the ala. You cannot completely stop this from happening as you cannot stop smiling, or moving your mouth. A rhinoplasty to narrow the ala and strengthen the nose may help resist the widening. Sometime a small amount of botox is placed in these muscles to weaken them slightly with variable results. See a surgeon and get an opinion after an exam. Good luck

The facial muscles that help you smile are all connected and interwoven at the base of the nose. Everyone's nose broadens when smiling. If you feel your nose is wide without smiling then a rhinoplasty with alar base reduction may be indicated. However you cant stop the nose from widening when you smile :)

There is a procedure to prevent the base of the nose from widening while smiling.  It involves placing a suture across the base of the nose holding the outer nasal/nostril from spreading while smiling.

If you nostrils are wide at rest, then a Weir excision of the ala can reduce this.  If they appear wide only when you are smiling, then Botox injections may relax the muscles that are causing this problem.  Seek out a board certified plastic surgeon, who has extensive rhinoplasty experience.  Best wishes, Dr. Lepore.