Wide Nose Questions

Question:
I have a very wide nose, how will you fix it?

Answer:
It depends on where it is wide.

The nose can be thought of as having an upper third made primarily of the nasal bones, the lower third made primarily of the nasal tip, and the middle third made primarily of the cartilaginous bridge. Different techniques are used to address wideness in different areas. If the upper portion of your nose is too wide, then osteotomies ("breaking" the bones) will be required to narrow the nose. If the tip is too bulbous and wide, then resection and re-orientation of cartilage may be performed to narrow the nose. If the middle third is too wide, then a number of techniques may be applied depending upon the exact cause.

Shown here is a patient with very subtle but definite fullness of the nasal tip. Tip techniques were combined with other rhinoplasty techniques to create a narrower nasal tip and a more balanced nasal appearance.

Some patients' nasal tips are too BROAD for their nose. This requires a resection of soft tissue called "alar base" resection. This is illustrated here:

Base resection: If the nose is too wide at the bottom, a portion of the nostril at the base may be removed to narrow it. This is called an alar base resection. There are many ways described to undertake this -- we advocate a conservative approach.

A patient example is shown here:

Ask Dr. Becker a question or arrange an appointment for a nose surgery consultation by calling 856-589-NOSE (6673) or emailing us at info@therhinoplastycenter.com.

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