Alar adjustment is a surgical technique that reduces wide or flared nostrils. The outer edges of the nostrils are called the ala. In general, alar adjustment is usually undertaken along with width reduction.
In this cosmetic surgery procedure, the surgeon can alter the level of tension that is creating the excessive width in the nostrils by removing a portion of tissue.
The Weir technique is a specialized alar adjustment technique that involves a specific type of incision. The surgeon removes a piece of tissue to create a wedge-shaped void and then sutures it to create the desired contours.
A Common Trait for some Ethnicities
Some ethnic patients are more likely to have wide nostrils along with a nasal flare. It is often seen in people of African American ethnicity.
Certain patients feel that wide nostrils and/or flared nostrils can distract from other characteristics of the face. This can impact the patient’s confidence and self-image.
Board certified plastic surgeons at the Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) provide nose reshaping surgery to patients in Houston, Texas, TX, and surrounding locations.
Procedure
The surgeon will eliminate a wedge of tissue from the sides of the nostrils near the junction with the cheek in a procedure called alarplasty. The pointed apex will be near the sides where the nose joins to the cheek groove, and the wedge base will be level with the alar rims.
The width of the nostrils will determine the amount of tissue excision. Many patients and surgeons seek to measure the change in mm narrowing on the frontal view. But this can be difficult as the wedge size eliminated does not appropriately reflect the frontal narrowing distance.
The surgeon will seek to understand whether the patient wants minor, medium, or dramatic change. A majority of patients want a medium change.
It is important to remember that more tissue reduction in the future is always possible if the patients still feel that their nostrils are too wide. However, the removal of an excessive amount of tissue is challenging to reverse.
Some nose surgeons use a suturing technique to draw the walls in medially. This may cause tissue bunching and is likely temporary. Other surgeons make incisions only inside the nostrils from fear of causing scarring on the outside.
However, this approach will not create dramatic changes. Incisions made on the outside heal well and can be properly hidden next to the alar groove. This incision is placed in the region where the nostrils link to the cheeks. This enables the scar to remain hidden in the natural crease between these areas.
Alarplasty or nostril narrowing is an effective procedure that can be performed stand-alone without the need for a full rhinoplasty and creates dramatic results.
After the Surgery
The patient will experience some pain and discomfort in the nose area as well as some puffiness and swelling during the first few days after the procedure. The pain will resolve in two to three days, but the swelling will take longer to subside.
Minor bleeding in the incision sites is normal after this procedure. This bleeding usually resolves in about two days. The swelling on the face will start to resolve in nearly one week and should be completely gone by two weeks.
On around the third day after the plastic surgery, the patient will need to go back to the office to have their bandages removed. The sutures will be removed at the end of the first week. Cosmetic surgeons at ACPS receive patients from Houston, Texas, TX, and nearby areas for nose reshaping surgery.
For more information about The Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) physicians and the cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures they perform please click here or call us at 713.799.9999. We have offices in and around Houston, Texas.
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