Management of Wide Alar Lobule Using Preservation Rhinoplasty Philosophy: Alar Coring Technique

Abdulraheem MHAH, Ng CL, D'Souza AR.

What this paper says

A technique article introducing alar coring, a method of reducing the thickness of the nostril wing itself, presented as an alternative to the scarring left by existing nostril base techniques.

Overview

A broad nostril base disrupts nasal and facial balance and concerns many patients. The authors state the wide appearance may come from an excessive nostril sill, flaring of the nostril wings, a thick nostril wing itself, or a combination. Many techniques exist to address the nostril base but leave scars to varying degrees, and reducing the thickness of the wing is described as particularly difficult.

Sections of note

Technique article; the abstract reports no patient numbers, no outcomes, no complication rates and no follow up.
Causes of a wide appearance are listed as excessive nostril sill, alar flare, wide alar lobule, or a combination.
Existing techniques for the nostril base are stated to leave scars to a variable degree.
Management of nostril wing thickness is described as particularly challenging.
The presented technique is a novel method for reducing the thickness of the alar lobule.
The authors state it gives an excellent aesthetic outcome.

What it means for a patient

A wide nose base has several distinct causes, and treating the wrong one does not narrow it.
Thickness of the nostril wing is different from flaring, and standard base reduction does not address it.
The claimed excellent outcome carries no supporting numbers or follow up.
Coring implies removing tissue from within the wing rather than cutting its edge, which is the stated route to avoiding a visible scar.

Why this paper matters

Alar base surgery leaves permanent external scars, and that is the recurring objection to narrowing the nose base. This technique targets thickness from within. Whether it produces less scarring or a better result than existing methods has not been measured.

Terms

Alar lobule: the fleshy wing of the nostril.
Alar base: the bottom of the nostril wings where they meet the face.
Alar flare: nostril wings spreading outward beyond the base.
Nostril sill: the floor of the nostril opening.
Coring: removing tissue from within a structure rather than from its surface.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-09; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

From the abstract

“A broad alar base disrupts nasal harmony and facial aesthetic balance and is an aesthetic concern for many patients. This wide appearance may be related to excessive nostril sill, alar flare, wide alar lobule, or a combination. Many techniques are described in literature to address the alar base with resultant scars…”

Excerpt; the full abstract is on PubMed.