Wide Nose Rhinoplasty

Wide nose is not only prevalent among Asians and African-Americans but also among some Caucasians. The appearance of a wide nose is due to excessive separation of the nasal bones, flaring of the nostrils, as well as relative lack of nasal height.

For example, Asians who typically don’t have a tall bridge appear to have wide noses. Therefore, augmentation of the nasal height with cartilage grafts or nasal implants helps to balance the nose in terms of its height and width. Augmentation rhinoplasty and interdomal alar sutures via a closed or open rhinoplasty can help to narrow a wide nose.

Caucasians who have a tall nasal bridge, but also have a wide nose, usually undergo nasal Osteotomy (“breaking the nose”) as part of their rhinoplasty to narrow the nasal bony vault along with narrowing of the nasal tip and base in order to narrow the entire nose. Narrowing of the nose during a primary or revision rhinoplasty helps to give the appearance of a more elongated and not as broad of a face.

One of the complications of rhinoplasty is inadequate narrowing of the nose by performing an incomplete or inadequate nasal Osteotomy during the initial nose job. This can give the look of a wide bridge which makes the eyes appear to be further apart. With a revision rhinoplasty a wide nose can be corrected by performing Osteotomy, as well as by narrowing nasal base with an “alar wedge excision”.