What is a wide nose when the width of the entire nose including the nostrils is greater than the distance between the eyes, we speak of a wide nose.
The nostrils should fit between the imaginary lines drawn from the inside of each eye.
The width of the bridge of the nose or “dorsum”, in turn, should be approximately 80% of the width of the nostrils.
A wide nose can develop from birth when you have a wide nasal bone and cartilage in a pyramidal structure.
Rhinoplasty for a wide nose is the plastic surgery procedure to restructure the nasal bone and reshape the cartilage, with the goal of creating a thinner and narrower nose.
We can say that a nose can be wide because of a wide nasal dorsum or nasal septum, or because the tip of the nose is wide.
Wide nose rhinoplasty for wide nasal dorsum uses the osteotomy technique to reconstruct a more proportionate nasal bridge.
The nasal tip and wide nostrils can also be narrowed as part of your wide nose rhinoplasty.
Does your wide nose bother you?
A nose can maintain a wide appearance for a number of reasons.
For many people, the lack of nasal bridge height makes the nose appear wider. This is often genetic and therefore more common in particular ethnic groups.
In other cases, an initial rhinoplasty procedure may have caused the nose to take on a wider appearance, leaving a broad nose after rhinoplasty.
Whether it is a first-time rhinoplasty or a revision nose job, cosmetic or functional nose surgery is the best way to narrow a wide nose, and often the only possible solution with long-lasting results.
How do you operate on a wide nose?
If the nose is wide due to the nasal dorsum, we perform a medial or lateral osteotomy or both to narrow the nasal bridge.
If the nose is narrowed due to a wide tip, then a reshaping of the nasal cartilages is performed.
Thinning a wide nose: types of rhinoplasties
Wide nasal dorsum: medial and/or lateral osteotomy
The nasal bone forms a pyramidal structure at the top of the nose that can be restructured during rhinoplasty. This bony nasal pyramid determines the overall shape of the nose.
To change the shape of the nose and give it a slimmer appearance, the pyramid structure must be broken into smaller, more movable pieces.
Nose jobs in wide noses are most often performed with an osteotomy to narrow the nasal bridge. During an osteotomy, the surgeon makes small breaks in the upper nasal bones to thin the nose.
There are two common types of nasal osteotomies used to thin the nose: medial and lateral.
Many wide nose rhinoplasties use both types of osteotomies to create a thinner appearance to the nasal bridge.
With the medial osteotomy, it will reshape the middle section of your nose. Medial osteotomies focus on small breaks in the middle part of the top of the nose.
In the case of lateral osteotomy, it will chisel out the outer and longer sections of the nose bone.
Once the breaks are made, we can reshape the nose by bringing the pieces closer together to create a narrower nasal structure. Although the osteotomy may seem like a fairly intense surgery, keep in mind that Dr. Mira will make very precise small breaks in the nasal bones.
Alarplasty and tip narrowing of the wide and bulbous nasal tip.
Wide nose due to bulbous tip
Left normal nasal tip-Right bulbous nose tip
Square-tipped nose and tapering tip nose
Left: square tip – Right sharp tip
If your nose is too wide or bulbous at the tip, we can create a thinner or tapered tip with rhinoplasty.
Rhinoplasty for a wide nose can dramatically improve your facial appearance when the nasal tip is made narrower. Nostril width surgery, or alarplasty, can be performed as an additional procedure to correct the size and shape of your nostrils.
Several techniques can be used to refine a wide nasal tip.
The cartilage that forms a bulbous nose can be thinned and shaped.
For greater definition, cartilage can be removed from the nasal septum or from behind the ear to outline a narrower nasal tip. The patient’s own cartilage is carefully placed to produce a natural, more refined nasal silhouette.
The nostril area can also be modified to address the patient’s concerns.
In addition to the width of the nostril area, the widening of the nasal wings should be analyzed.
Alarplasty and narrowing of wide and bulbous nose tip
Wide bulbous tip nose
Left normal nose tip-right bulbous nose tip
Square tip nose and tapered tip nose
Left: square tip – Right sharp tip
If your nose is too wide or bulbous at the tip, we can create a thinner or tapered tip with rhinoplasty.
Rhinoplasty for a wide nose can dramatically improve your facial appearance when the nasal tip is made narrower. Nostril width surgery, or alarplasty, can be performed as an additional procedure to correct the size and shape of your nostrils.
Several techniques can be used to refine a wide nasal tip.
The cartilage that forms a bulbous nose can be thinned and shaped.
For greater definition, cartilage can be removed from the nasal septum or from behind the ear to outline a narrower nasal tip. The patient’s own cartilage is carefully placed to produce a natural, more refined nasal silhouette.
The nostril area can also be modified to address the patient’s concerns.
In addition to the width of the nostril area, the widening of the nasal wings should be analyzed.
What is alarplasty?
Allarplasty is a surgical technique to reduce and narrow the size of the nostrils.
We remove a small piece of skin through wedge excisions, nasal sill excisions or a combination of both to achieve a balanced natural appearance and a more beautiful nose.
Features of osteotomy for the broad nasal dorsum
Wide nose surgery focuses primarily on restructuring the nasal bone. In some cases, cartilage reshaping may be performed to improve the shape of the nasal tip and nostrils.
Candidates for wide nose rhinoplasty often suffer from a flat and wide nasal bridge for genetic or ethnic reasons.
Wide nose rhinoplasty is primarily performed with the patient under general anesthesia.
The nose plastic surgery procedure can be completed in one to two hours in the operating room, depending on the extent of the surgery.
Two of the most common techniques for performing wide nose surgery are the medial osteotomy and the lateral osteotomy.
If the tip of the nose is bulbous or thick and the nostrils are flared, Dr. Mira can reshape these parts as well.
Initial recovery after your wide nose rhinoplasty will last approximately one week.
The shape of the nose will continue to improve and firm up for several months.
Do you have a wide nose and want to know more about the surgery and recovery?
Wide Nose Surgery Recovery
A nasal cast will most likely be required to ensure proper healing.
The cast can usually be removed in less than a week. At this point, the surgeon will probably prescribe nasal exercises to encourage continued healing.
It may take up to eight weeks before the newly placed nasal bones heal safely. During this time, it is extremely important to remain committed to the prescribed nasal exercises.
Postoperatively, stay in close contact with your surgeon to avoid any healing complications. The postoperative recovery strategy is another great thing to research and ask about before choosing the best possible surgeon for your wide, flat, thick-skinned nose job.
It is a good sign if the surgeon has a detailed plan that includes regular post-operative check-ups. If the surgeon seems to lack a sense of individual post-operative care, it may be best to look elsewhere.
Before and After Rhinoplasty
Before choosing a surgeon to perform your wide nose rhinoplasty, be sure to do your research and confirm that your chosen surgeon has experience performing wide nose surgery.
An easy way to do this is to look through before and after photos, which can usually be viewed on the surgeon’s website.
Take a look at the photos and find before and after images of a rhinoplasty performed on wide noses.
