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DOI: 10.5999/aps.2014.41.6.630
Multifactorial Approaches for Correction of the Drooping Tip of a Long Nose in East Asians
A long nose with a drooping tip is a major aesthetic problem. It creates a negative and aged appearance and looks worse when smiling. In order to rectify this problem, the underlying anatomical causes should be understood and corrected simultaneously to optimize surgical outcomes. The causes of a drooping tip of a long nose are generally classified into two mechanisms. Static causes usually result from malposition and incorrect innate shape of the nasal structure: the nasal septum, upper and lower lateral cartilages, and the ligaments in between. The dynamic causes result from the facial expression muscles, the depressor septi nasi muscle, and the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle. The depressor septi nasi depresses the nasal tip and the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi pulls the alar base upwards. Many surgical methods have been introduced, but partial approaches to correct such deformities generally do not satisfy East Asians, making the problem more challenging to surgeons. Typically, East Asians have thick nasal tip soft tissue and skin, and a depressed columella and alar bases. The authors suggest that multifactorial approaches to static and dynamic factors along with ancillary causes should be considered for correcting the drooping tip of the long noses of East Asians.
Publication History
Received: 24 July 2013
Accepted: 10 September 2013
Article published online:
05 May 2022
© 2014. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
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