Hello!
Today we will se the case of a patient that has facial asymmetry. It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone in the world has facial asymmetry. However, there are different degrees of asymmetry. The patient today also had facial asymmetry, the difference could be perceived as the left side looked significantly bigger than the rightside. Everthing on the left side, the eybrow, the eye, the nasal alar, the lips, the cheekbone, and the chin, were slightly bigger than the right side.
Preoperative Design
Seen from the front, the parts from the nose bridge all the way to the nosetip were bending to the right following an oblique line, the nasal alar was big on the left and smaller on the right. Also, the nose tip was blunt and wide, as well as having nostril asymmetry.
Side view photo before the surgery.
On the side, the nose tip was droppy, and the mandibule was protruding, which gave a lantern jaw appearance. The nasal dorsum had a slight nose bump, and the glabella looked flat and plain.
Nostril view photo before the surgery
By looking at the photo of the nostrils, and comparing them, we can observe that the right side looks smaller and that there is asymmetry. The alar too is smaller on the right side. The nose tip looked blunt.
Surgery Plan
- The parts that look diagonally bent form the front ➜ Nasal bone osteotomy to move the nasal bone and the parts of the septal cartilage to the left.
- Nostril size difference ➜ Both sides have different skin sizes, so the size cannot be corrected, instead I will make them look similar by correcting the position of the nose tip.
- The blunt and wide parts of the nose tip ➜ To fix the bulbous nose, I planned to use the self-rib cartilage to make the nose tip stand up straight and give it a three-dimensional effect.
- Droopy appearance on the side view ➜ This part is planned to be corrected through the removal of the nose bump and by using the self-rib cartilage in the nose tip.
After Surgery Photos
The droopy and blunt nose tip appearance from the side view has been improved significantly, and as the nasolabial angle became wider, it gave the effect of a smaller lower jaw.
Before and After Surgery Photos. Before surgery (left), after surgery (right)
The nose bridge and the nose tip were raised altogether, and the three-dimensional effect was increased, making the face look smaller, and giving him an overall natural and refined appearance at the same time.
Before and After Surgery Photos. Before surgery (left), after surgery (right)
The nose tip that was bending to the right side was definitely corrected and the right part of the nasal alar that appeared to be smaller was also improved.
Before and After Surgery Photos. Before surgery (left), after surgery (right)
The blunt and wide appearance of the nose tip improved significantly.
90° angle | 45° angle | Frontal view. Photos taken after the surgery with the consent of the patient.
Nasal Deviation Correction vs Facial Asymmetry Correction
One important aspect to correct facial asymmetry is nasal deviation correction. There are various forms of asymmetry on the face, and between them, if there is some degree of nasal deviation, it may or may not worsen the asymmetry. It is fairly subjective to say if a nose is straight or bent. Contrarily, inextreme cases, if the face is altogether bent to one side, the nose too may also bend to the same direction accordingly, which could also not worsen the face asymmetry. That is why, to perform a nasal deviation correction, I first look for the face central axis, and adapt the method to match the nose accordingly.
I want to conclude by again stating that people who are concerned about facial asymmetry may benefit from nasal deviation correction. Today we talked about nasal deviation correction and facial asymmetry correction. I hope people that are interested in facial asymmetry nasal deviation correction find this article helpful.
Dr. Chayoung Kang
Director of Noselab Clinic