Alar adjustment is a surgical technique that reduces wide or flared nostrils. The nostrils’ outer edges are known as the ala. Alar adjustment is usually undertaken along with width reduction.
The surgeon excises a portion of tissue to adjust the level of tension that is causing the excessive nostril width.
The Weir technique refers to a specialized alar adjustment technique that involves a specific type of incision. The surgeon excises tissue to create a wedge-shaped cavity and then sutures it to create optimal contours.
Some ethnic patients tend to have flared nostrils along with a nasal flare. African American patients typically have this type of nose structure. At times, patients feel that their wide and/or flared nostrils take away from other facial characteristics. This can adversely affect an individual’s self-confidence.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey provides rhinoplasty to patients in Atlanta, Buckhead, Georgia, and surrounding locations.
Procedure
The surgeon will excise a wedge of tissue from the sides of the nostrils near the junction with the cheek in a procedure called alarplasty. The wedge base will be the level of the alar rims, and the pointed apex will be near the sides where the nose links to the cheek groove.
The width of the nostrils will determine the amount of tissue excision. Many nose surgeons and patients try to measure the change in mm narrowing on the frontal view.
But this can be difficult as the wedge size that is excised does not properly reflect the frontal narrowing distance.
The surgeon will discuss with the patient whether they require a minor, medium, or dramatic change. A majority of patients seek a medium change. Patients should remember that it is always possible to excise more tissue at a later date if they feel that the nostrils are still too flared. However, the removal of excessive tissue is challenging to reverse.
Some rhinoplasty surgeons use a suturing technique to draw the walls in medially. But this may cause tissue bunching. Other surgeons place incisions only inside the nostrils from fear of scarring on the outside.
However, this technique does not produce dramatic changes. Incisions on the outside of the nose heal well and can be properly hidden adjacent to the alar groove. An experienced nose surgeon will place this incision in the region where the nostrils link to the cheeks. This enables the scar to remain hidden within the natural crease between these areas.
Alarplasty (nostril narrowing) is an effective procedure that can be performed as an individual surgery without undertaking a full rhinoplasty.
After the Surgery
The patient will undergo some pain and discomfort in the nose area along with swelling and puffiness during the first few days of the recovery period. The pain will resolve slowly in two to three days. But the swelling will take more time to subside.
Patients normally experience minor bleeding in the incision sites. This bleeding usually resolves in nearly two days. The inflammation on the face will begin to resolve in around one week and should be completely gone by two weeks.
The patient will have to visit the office to have their bandages removed around three days after the surgery. The surgeon will usually remove the sutures at the end of the first week.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey receives patients from Atlanta, Buckhead, Georgia, and nearby areas for rhinoplasty.
For more information on procedures and treatments offered by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Paul McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, visit:
Serving patients in and around Atlanta, Buckhead, Roswell, Marietta, Georgia and surrounding areas.