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How Long Does Nostril and Nasal Wing Reduction Surgery Take?

Apr 15, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Oct 3

One of the questions we hear most often from patients with a wide nose is how nostril and nasal wing reduction surgery is actually performed, since a wide-looking nose usually comes down to wide alar wings and nostrils. In this week's post from Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic, we answer the questions people ask most about narrowing a wide nose, including how long the procedure itself takes. We hope you find it useful.

What Causes a Wide-Looking Nose?

Before getting into the details of alar reduction surgery, it's worth summarizing what actually causes wide nasal wings and nostrils in the first place. Genetics is the main factor — irregularities or excess in the cartilage are a common example. That said, a nose can look wide even when it isn't actually all that wide. There are three situations that commonly cause this:

1) Insufficient Tip Projection

When the nasal tip doesn't sit high enough in profile, the whole nose can look wider than it actually is.

2) An Overly Upturned Nasal Tip

When the tip is rotated upward more than it should be, the nostrils become more visible than usual, which likewise makes the nose look wider.

3) Alar Notching

In some cases the nostrils and wings themselves aren't especially wide, but notching along the alar rim still makes the nose look wider than it is.

How Is Nostril Reduction Surgery Performed?


Alar and nostril reduction is usually carried out as part of a broader rhinoplasty, but for patients whose only concern is a wide nose, it can also be performed entirely on its own. The most common approach is to remove a limited amount of tissue at the base of the nostril and reshape it as needed. In some cases, simply lowering or raising the tip is enough to narrow the appearance of wide alar wings, since — as mentioned above — an overly upturned tip is itself one of the causes of a wide-looking nose. The techniques used for narrowing the alar wings are similar to those used for the nostrils themselves: removing tissue at the base of the nostril, or a comparable adjustment, is among the most common approaches.

Are the Nostrils Actually Made Smaller?


How Many Hours Does Nostril Reduction Surgery Take?


The interventions we perform for a wide nose use the closed rhinoplasty technique together with an atraumatic approach, and self-dissolving sutures are used throughout. As a result, nostril reduction surgery leaves no visible scarring on the outside of the nose.

That brings us to the end of this post from Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic on nostril and nasal wing reduction surgery. For more on what causes a wide nose and what recovery looks like, see our nostril and nasal wing reduction guide. If you have any questions about narrowing a wide nose after reading this, feel free to reach us on +90 532 056 3693 — we wish you good health.

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