I Have Thin Nostril Rims And Weak Lower Lateral Cartilages, What Can I Do To Firm Up My Nose?

Question

I am a black male, my ala rims are thin but they connect to medium size nose. but the structure inside the nose is not strong. When I flare my nose I can see the tip move and I can see the lateral crus move, recently I developed a small line in my tip through to my columella. My nose used to be strong but over time just got weaker, is there anyway it can be made strong and possibly aesthetically pleasing. I can breathe fine as my nose is now its just the aesthetics that have always bothered me.

Jamil Asaria, MD · Answer

To strengthen the lower part of the nostrils, additional cartilage support is required.

	The most common grafts would include lateral crural strut grafts (using septal cartilage to support the lower lateral cartilage), and alar rim grafts which are very thin grafts placed at the margin of the nostrils.

	Hope that helps,

	-Dr. Asaria

David W. Kim, MD · Answer

Like many patients of African descent, your nose has softer, broader cartilages. This contributes to a wide tip and hanging tip and columella. The line you see in your columella is a shallow vertical cleft between the inner edge of your two tip cartilages. Structural grafting in rhinoplasty can serve to add support to strenghten your nose while changing the shape. Cartilage grafts could be used to add support to elevate the tip and columella and strengthen the lateral (side) wall of the tip. A thin camouflage graft could be used to efface the cleft in the columella. Depending on how you feel about your flared nostril, a reduction could reduce the prominance of the flare.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

Rhinoplasty for the African-American nose such as yours involves nostril narrowing, alar rim grafts, elevation of your hanging columella, refinement of the tip cartilages an an increase in tip projection. This needs to be done by an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon who has done many African-American noses!

Jason Litner, MD · Answer

Hi Ponder85,

	Over time, the ligaments that hold the tip cartilages together start to loosen and cause your tip to lose support, which is likely why you are seeing more nostril flare and a greater sense of tip drop and loss of support. Ethnic rhinoplasty is aimed at increasing this tip support so that your nose will be stronger and have a more pleasing aesthetic contour over the long term. If you see a rhinoplasty surgeon with a lot of experience in Ethnic Rhinoplasty, you should expect a very successful outcome. Check out our blog article on the topic. All the best.

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

The soft (or weak) cartilages are common in Black noses. Depending on your goals the width and flare of the nostrils can be narrowed, the contour of the tip cartilages can be changed and cartilage added to the columella to increase and maintain tip projection, and alar rim grafts will refine your nose. Select a rhinoplasty surgeon who has experience with Black patients.

I Have Thin Nostril Rims And Weak Lower Lateral Cartilages, What Can I Do To Firm Up My Nose?

Answers (5)