Alar base reduction - always thought my nose was too wide

Unlike with a full rhinoplasty I don’t think my nose will change much from this point on ( 3 months post surgery ). I am unsure whether it was worth having the alar base reduction because the asymmetry is definitely still there . I can’t fault Dr Riaz’s skills as a surgeon but if asymmetry is caused by something other than the size of the nostrils I think a full rhinoplasty is needed. On the plus side I am very happy with the left side of my nose now ( right side in photos ) but ideally I want to do something about the right side . I have healed very well and on one side you’d never know I’d had surgery, the other side has a small scar . So in summary if your only concern is the width of nostrils /base of the nose i’d recommended the procedure but it isn’t a substitute for a full rhinoplasty

Procedure
Regarding the procedure itself the worst part by far was when the local anaesthetic went in . I had an anxiety attack and I nearly didn’t go through with it !. Not sure if it was the anaesthetic itself as I did have something similar in the past with a local or the anxiety but my heart was racing . Dr Agha and the theatre nurse were very patient with me and gave me some time to calm down before I decided to proceed. Once the anaesthetic had taken effect the procedure itself was painless and I felt quite relaxed . I was given the opportunity to check the results in the mirror as we went along which was surreal.
Once the anaesthetic had worn off ( after about 4 hours ) I did have some pain but nothing that a couple of co-codamol couldn’t solve. I needed painkillers for about 2 days but after that I just had to be careful when washing my face as the area was still sore . My nose was noticeably swollen for around 10 days.The swelling kept changing in the first week so that is something to keep in mind . Having the stitches out was a bit eye watering but over very quickly . I’ve healed very well and on one side you can hardly see I’ve had anything done but there is an indented line on the other side . You need to be close to my face to see it though so not an issue.
Evaluation
It’s only been 3 weeks so I’m not sure yet but my nose does look a bit better . I can clearly still see the asymmetry so I might have to have a full rhinoplasty . As you can see by the photos the asymmetry is much worse when I smile which was the original problem. Dr Riaz advised 3 months to see a major improvement with the alar base reduction but I can’t see the asymmetry improving as the swelling has gone . I will post an update then .

I’ve disliked my nose since school and always thought it was too wide . I had the idea that I’d have a rhinoplasty as soon as I was 18 but then I put the idea to one side . I did ‘grow into my face’ some what so I felt my nose didn’t look as bad when I got older . When camera phones became a thing I started getting self conscious again !. I didn’t mind my nose too much when I wasn’t smiling but I realised I had a lot of photos of me looking quite miserable!. When I edited my ‘smiling photos ‘ I noticed my nose was asymmetrical. For whatever reason I hadn’t noticed this before and looking at photos now I am quite surprised I didn’t. I started researching what could be done and doctors on RealSelf were mentioning alar base reduction in answers to questions similar to my issue ie an asymmetrical base of the nose which widens on smiling. I found doctor Riaz Agha by googling alar base reduction in Essex/ London . He agreed after a consultation that it would help me .