Alar Base Reduction Regrets

I had my Primary Rhinoplasty June of 2017. Among other structural issues, the procedure I mostly regretted was the alar base reduction. I’m of African Heritage and having ethnically appropriate features is key to my identity, so you can imagine how devastated I felt, being left with tiny slim nostrils. I could barely pick my nose.

I had my Primary Rhinoplasty June of 2017. Among other structural issues, the procedure I mostly regretted was the alar base reduction. I’m of African Heritage and having ethnically appropriate features is key to my identity, so you can imagine how devastated I felt, being left with tiny slim nostrils. I could barely pick my nose.
If you’ve roamed RealSelf in search of a solution to reversing an Alar base reduction, you’ll often find doctors stating that it’s impossible. I did some research of my own, which I’ll provide in a separate post -- with links.
It’s really important for me to state, that I had a columellar strut/Septal support graft trimmed/removed, 3 months after my primary. I will say that having the graft trimmed, did make a difference in terms of my nostrils being less elongated (There was nothing pulling them upwards anymore). The reason why it’s important for me to disclose this, is that there often times also can be structural issues that keep the nostrils closed. In my case the columellar strut contributed to my issue (:
However, I was still unable to really pick my nose and I wasn’t happy with my nostril size.
During some research, I found that people with nostril stenosis, burn victims, cleft lip etc. Used nostril dilators, after their surgeries to keep their nostrils open and in order to dilate them further.
I decided to purchase some nostril dilators on Amazon, originally meant for snoring prevention. Various studies suggested rigid dilators made the biggest difference compared to the silicone ones. However, I was unable to find those, so I figured the silicone ones I found on Amazon would do.
I bought a pack with about 4 different sizes and various shapes. When I received the dilators in December 2017, I had a hard time even placing the smallest size inside my nostrils, which once again was devastating, because well -- the smallest size is extremely small.
At this point, June 8th 2018 I’m using the biggest size and I’ve seen a huge progress with my nostrils. At this point I’d say they’re almost as large as prior to any surgery and I can easily pick my nose! I still have some structural issues, that I hope to eventually get fixed with grafts (spreader grafts, rim grafts, alar batten grafts) in the future. I suspect this will help my nostrils even more, since they have very little support and I’d like them to once again be more flared.
But I wanted to make this post to recommend nostril dilators! I know they’ve done a great deal for me. I still get shocked when I see my previous tiny nostrils yikes! I put them on once I brush my teeth and I sleep with them overnight. I put them on at 8 PM and I usually wake up at 6 AM, so that’s ten hours of wearing them every single day, and sometimes more during the weekends when I sleep in. They’re similar to a retainer, if you’ve ever had braces, so if you stop wearing them they will regress, but the more often you wear them you can eventually skip a few nights if they bother you!
Lastly, I do want to emphasize, that even though you might’ve had an alar base reduction and that of course reduces your nostrils, that sometimes the issue might be due to your cartilage being compromised and the nostrils subsequently not having enough support. I know my cephalic trim I had during my primary compromised my nostrils a bit! But that’s seemingly easier to fix than replacing skin, which ofc no one recommends and therefore I’d recommend dilators! Also, I’m not a doctor, just someone who was excruciatingly upset after being left with tiny nostrils.

I thought I'd update you guys with more pictures + The links to the studies I mentioned reading in my earlier post. These were the studies that made me try out nostril dilators.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4750266/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0901502704002905
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_expansion#Skin_expansion

I've also received a question regarding what type of alar base reduction I had. Mine was a sill reduction.

I'd say the only downside, is that bc my nostrils have expanded the scars are more visible, but I'd a 100 times rather have it this way than before. I also think trimming the strut graf made a huge difference!