Nose · planning guide
Narrowing the nostrils is a small procedure with permanent proportions. How to prepare the consultation and the trip.
Alar reduction narrows wide or flared nostrils by removing a small amount of tissue at the base of the nose. It is often performed with rhinoplasty but can be done alone. Because the change is permanent and the scar sits in a visible area, technique and proportion judgement are the heart of the consultation.
Nostril width and flare, the base of the nose in relation to the face, skin thickness and whether the tip or bridge would be addressed at the same time. The surgeon explains how much narrowing is proportionate and where incisions would sit.
Ask where the incision would be, how it is expected to heal in your skin type and what the surgeon does to keep the nostril shape natural. Ask what over-reduction would look like and how it is avoided.
Alone, alar reduction is often described as a shorter recovery than full rhinoplasty, with stitch removal within the first week. Combined with rhinoplasty, the rhinoplasty schedule applies. Ask when you may fly and how scars should be cared for in the sun.
Alone or combined with rhinoplasty, technique, anaesthesia and follow-up. Ask for it as a separate line in any combined estimate.
How much narrowing do you recommend and why? Where will the scars be and how do they mature? Would you combine this with tip or bridge work? What sun and skincare precautions apply afterwards?
Remote pre-assessment with front and base photos as instructed.
Consultations covering proportion, scars and combination options.
Written estimates and recovery plans collected and compared.
Surgery, stitch removal and departure clearance scheduled with buffers.
Patient questions
These answers are coordination guidance, not medical advice. Final treatment decisions should be confirmed directly with the treating provider.
Incisions are placed in the crease at the base of the nostril where possible and described as maturing over months. Ask your surgeon where the scar would be for your anatomy and how to care for it.
Yes, it is sometimes performed alone. Surgeons assess whether the nostrils alone or the whole nose would need attention to keep proportion.
Alone, clinics commonly describe stitch removal within the first week and swelling settling over weeks. Combined with rhinoplasty, the longer schedule applies. Your surgeon confirms.
It depends on whether it is alone or combined, on technique and on follow-up. Ask for a written itemized estimate after the consultation.
Continue planning
