Am I an alarplasty candidate? Or do I need a revision? (Photo)

Question

I had rhinoplasty in 2009 to remove a hump on my nose. However, I did not have anything done to the tip. I am not happy with how bulbous it looks. My nose looks wide and looks even wider when I smile. Would alarplasty help balance my nose, or do I need revision? I am happy with my profile, however the size of my nostrils is what bothers me.

Stephen J. Pincus, MD · Answer

It appears from the few posted photos that your nose is "bottom heavy". It would be interesting to see what you started with. Many times a hump reduction, with or without infracturing, will reduce some of the support to the overlying skin/soft tissue envelope. This results in laxity transferred to the lower third. An alarplasty would only make your tip look bigger! In situations like yours, I consider freeing up the entire attachment of the lower portion of the nose to the underlying bone to produce a generalized contraction. Coupled with this, I might consider increasing the tip projection slightly to produce some angularity. The first photo on the left appears to show a slightly depressed bony dorsum, which could use some augmentation to help with the overall endgame. On the other hand, the second photo appears to show a higher dorsum, which is confusing!

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Your nose was left too large and too long. Correcting those issues along with a possible alarplasty might be an improvement worth considering

Robert Ciardullo, MD · Answer

Alar plasty and nasal tip plasty: Alar plasty is a procedure to narrow the width of the base of the nostrils where they attach to the face. Alar plasty alone does not affect the tip. If you feel that the tip of your nose is broad or “bulbous“ than a nasal tip plasty would be called for in addition to the alarplasty.

Am I an alarplasty candidate? Or do I need a revision? (Photo)

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Am I an alarplasty candidate? Or do I need a revision? (Photo)

Answers (3)

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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.