Why Bulbous Nose Surgery Also Corrects the Nasolabial Angle — A Surgical Plan Seen Through a Thick-Nose Case

01

What kind of plan approaches a thick nose?

This case's surgical plan consisted of four elements.

• Rib cartilage graft — rib cartilage was used as material to reinforce the low bridge and tip structure.
• Surrounding muscle correction — even the movement of muscles around the tip was corrected.
• Hump resection — the accompanying hump was resected to refine the line.
• Nasolabial angle correction — the angle between nose and lip was corrected together.

A bulbous nose doesn't mean only the tip gets trimmed — bridge height, the hump, and tip angle must be planned together for the whole line to flow naturally. What's checked in tip correction is covered in more detail in the nasal tip procedure guide.

Note that this case proceeded after removing previously inserted threads. If you have prior procedure history, its removal is included in the plan.

02

Why is nasolabial angle correction done together?

The nasolabial angle is the angle between the nose and the lip. When nostrils stand out from the front, the tip sometimes needs to be lowered slightly during bulbous surgery, considering tip proportions.

Correcting the nasolabial angle this way produces the effect of a protruding mouth looking recessed. Some worry the nose will look longer when the tip is lowered — but the design is checked meticulously so that impression doesn't occur.

03

What change was confirmed after surgery?

Right after surgery, the thick tip feel had disappeared and the nose was confirmed corrected into a slightly upturned-looking shape — because the three concerns of low bridge, thick nose, and hump were each handled by their own correction elements (rib cartilage graft, hump resection, and tip/nasolabial-angle organization).

Even among bulbous noses, plan composition differs depending on bridge height, presence of a hump, how much nostril shows, and prior procedure history. That's why, rather than picking a method first, we approach in the order of assessing the current nose comprehensively and combining the needed elements.

04

Summary — a bulbous nose is planned element by element

A thick nose may not be only a tip problem. Bridge height, hump, and the nose–lip angle must be viewed together and the needed correction elements combined for the whole line to organize naturally. In particular, if nostrils stand out from the front, nasolabial angle correction can be included in the plan — which also leads to the effect of a protruding mouth looking recessed.

If you're curious which elements your nose needs, it can be checked in a 1:1 video consultation. Actual correction cases can be seen in the before-and-after photos.