Rhinoplasty for South East Asian Nose

Overview

Rhinoplasty planning depends on the starting anatomy, and the South East Asian nose differs from the pattern most rhinoplasty literature describes. This article sets out those features, the surgical approach used, and the specific landmarks the author treats as defining a good result.

Sections of note

• Described features: usually small, voluminous thick skin, low dorsum, wide and hanging ala, bulbous tip, retracted premaxilla.
• Surgical approach includes dorsal augmentation.
• It also includes counterrotation and projection of the tip.
• Correction of the hanging ala and of alar flare or base is included.
• The stated ideal outcome is a nose that fits the face with good function and all aesthetic landmarks achieved.
• Those landmarks are listed as: natural looking dorsum, supratip break, tip, subtip break, columellar show, good alar-columellar relationship, improved premaxilla, improved nostril, and improved alar flare.
• No patient numbers, techniques by name, outcome rates, or follow-up appear in the abstract.

What it means for a patient

• The operation here mostly adds and projects rather than reduces, the opposite of the classic Western reduction rhinoplasty.
• Thick skin limits how much definition surgery can produce, which is why it is named first.
• The nostril shape and width are addressed as a separate step from the tip and bridge.
• This is a descriptive review with no measured results, so it does not report outcomes.

Why this paper matters

Rhinoplasty standards and proportion rules were largely written for a different anatomy, and applying them directly produces poor results. Naming the specific features and the landmarks to aim for makes planning explicit. No outcome data accompanies the description.

Terms

• Dorsal augmentation: Building up the bridge of the nose.
• Ala: The outer wall of the nostril.
• Alar flare: How far the nostril walls spread outward.
• Premaxilla: The front part of the upper jaw beneath the base of the nose.
• Supratip break: The slight dip in the profile just above the tip.
• Columellar show: How much of the strip between the nostrils is visible from the side.