What is Alar Adjustment?
Surgical refinement of the nose almost always involves reshaping the nasal tip. In some cases, the tip is the only part of the nose that requires attention. It is often referred to as alar adjustment or ‘tip rhinoplasty’. This can involve making the tip narrower, smaller, less bulbous, less boxy and more / less upturned – depending on the goals of the surgery. On occasion, a cartilage tip graft may be desirable. Because the nasal bones do not need to be fractured in most cases, the swelling and bruising that usually follow surgery are significantly reduced, and the patient is back at work and normal lifestyle much sooner than usual. Looking in profile, the distance measured between nasal tip and where the nose starts from the face is called tip projection. Changing tip projection can dramatically alter the beauty of the nose. What does the surgery involve? “Tip rhinoplasty” can be performed under local or general anesthetic. The operation is performed via closed rhinoplasty or open rhi
