Refining the Nasal Tip with Alar Rim Lowering and Non-Incisional Alar Reduction!

* Basic Information

# Female in her 20s

# Previous Rhinoplasty History: 1 time (Silicone implant, septal and ear cartilage used, alar reduction)

# Current Status and Main Complaints: After the previous surgery, the alar rims look pinched, giving a ‘dragon-nose’ appearance, which is very stressful. Although alar reduction was performed previously, I want to narrow them further!

* Consultation

# If the nostrils look pinched, it gives a ‘surgical’ and unnatural impression, so correction is necessary.

# Since this condition resulted from a previous surgery, the scar tissue is firm, making it a challenging case for correction.

# Because a significant amount of correction was required, we planned to sufficiently lower the rim using both skin and cartilage from the ear.

# If you are considering alar rim lowering, you must choose after fully understanding the following limitations:

Limitations of Alar Rim Lowering: 1. 100% symmetry between the left and right nostrils is difficult to achieve. 2. The horizontal width may slightly increase after surgery. 3. The transplanted cartilage may be slightly visible when viewed from below. 4. The texture becomes slightly firmer. 5. The area where the ear cartilage was harvested may fold slightly (though it is barely noticeable).

* Plan

# Alar Rim Lowering

# Non-incisional Alar Reduction

* Post-operative Progress

# Relatively simple! No visible scars! Satisfaction is high because correction is possible using only incisions inside the nostrils.

# The surgical method varies depending on the severity of the ‘pinched’ look. In mild cases, repositioning the lower lateral cartilage or simple cartilage grafting can suffice. However, for moderate to severe cases, cartilage grafting alone has limits, so a composite graft including skin tissue is necessary for satisfactory correction.

# In this patient’s case, a skin-cartilage composite graft was performed. To ensure no change in ear shape or visible scarring after harvesting the graft, many factors must be considered during the design phase. Therefore, the graft was harvested from the innermost part of the ear to minimize visible scarring.

# While non-incisional alar reduction is not as dramatic as the incisional method, it is effective at holding back the nostrils from spreading when smiling!

Consultations and surgeries should be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon!

The VIBE that comes from rich experience.

Dr. Yu Young-moon, Representative Director of VIBE Plastic Surgery

VIBE Plastic Surgery complies with medical laws. These before-and-after photos were taken under identical conditions with the patient’s consent. Complications and side effects such as bleeding, inflammation, infection, and asymmetry may occur after surgery and vary by individual, so caution is required.