New ideas to improve the shape of the ala of the Oriental nose.

The Oriental nose is smaller and lower than that of Caucasians. The lobule, the movable lower third, is lower and wider when compared with the Caucasian nose, and this region, including the tip, is entirely round. Traditionally, the isosceles triangle of the basal view, which consists of the nasal tip, the columella, and the alae surrounding the nostril, has been used to show the differences between the two races. Alae form two sides of the isosceles triangle and have the greatest influence on the shape of the basal view. For Orientals, the distance between the sides of the alar base is large, and the alae themselves are round and extrude laterally. Aesthetically, this shape cannot be seen as beautiful, and various methods have been applied to correct these deficiencies. However, no one has ever reported a method that directly corrects the shape of alae that extrude laterally. The author has found the technique of correcting the middle part of the ala without leaving any external scars by performing some of the plasties from inside the ala or by grafting cartilages. Successful results have been obtained and are reported here.