Does laughing a lot after rhinoplasty ruin the nose? — non-incisional alar reduction loosening and the depressor septi muscle
2024. 6. 17.
An answer to a question about the tip looking lower and the alae wider after laughing a lot following tip surgery and non-incisional alar reduction. Why the non-incisional method can loosen, the depressor septi muscle's action, and what to do at 2 weeks post-op — organized.
Key points
- Non-incisional alar reduction can naturally loosen somewhat through laughing and daily life after surgery — and through that process the nose can look somewhat spread.
- If the nose spreads when laughing and the tip drops toward the lip looking arrow-like, the depressor septi muscle at the tip can act to leave tip height lower than right after surgery.
- At 2 weeks post-op, rather than self-judging — visiting the operating clinic and consulting the attending doctor comes first.
"It's been 2 weeks since my nose surgery. I had tip surgery plus non-incisional alar reduction. From about a week post-op I kept meeting friends and laughing a lot — I did feel some pulling in my nose. But now the tip looks lower than right after surgery and the alae look wider again. Did that happen because I laughed too much?"
Some people worry like this during recovery after a first rhinoplasty. Having gone through surgery, feeling like nothing changed naturally brings anxiety. This article organizes the answer to the question above. One note first though — since this answer was given without directly seeing before/after photos, it's an explanation premised on a general situation, not a check of an individual state.
01
Why can non-incisional alar reduction feel wider again?
After non-incisional alar reduction, going through laughing and daily life can naturally loosen it somewhat. Through that process, the nose can spread somewhat.
In short, feeling like "the alae got wider again" doesn't necessarily mean the surgery went wrong — it means the change can be within the range that can appear given the non-incisional method's characteristics. Still, since distinguishing how much by feel alone is hard, the check procedure explained below is needed.
02
Why does the tip look lower when laughing?
There are cases where the nose spreads when laughing and a phenomenon of the tip dropping toward the lip occurs, making it look arrow-shaped. In such cases, the depressor septi muscle at the tip can act, leaving tip height lower than right after surgery.
Organized, the two changes the questioner felt can each be thought of like this.
| Change felt | Background to consider |
|---|---|
| Alae feeling wider again | Non-incisional alar reduction naturally loosening through laughing and daily life |
| Tip feeling lower | The nose spreading when laughing while the depressor septi muscle pulls the tip toward the lip |
How the structure supporting the tip and expression muscles participate in nose shape can be seen in more detail in the nasal tip plasty guide.
03
At 2 weeks post-op, what should be done now?
What matters most is timing. If only 2 weeks have passed since surgery, judging the result by how it looks now is too early.
- Visit the operating clinic — the place knowing the before/after state most accurately is the clinic that performed the surgery.
- Consult the attending doctor in detail — whether the change felt now is within the recovery range or a state needing separate checking is for the attending physician to see and judge directly.
- Don't conclude on your own — without comparing before/after photos, deciding "nothing changed" by feel alone is difficult.
If you're curious about the flow of changes during recovery, the rhinoplasty recovery guide can be referenced.
04
Summary — the attending doctor's check comes before a 2-week impression
Non-incisional alar reduction loosening somewhat through daily life, and the tip looking lower from the depressor septi muscle's action when laughing, are changes that can generally occur. But whether that applies to the questioner's current state is hard to say without before/after photos and direct examination. If not much time has passed since surgery, visiting the operating clinic and talking in detail with the attending doctor is recommended.
If you haven't had surgery yet, questions including expression and lifestyle habits during recovery can be checked in advance in a 1:1 video consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions patients ask before a consultation.
Does laughing a lot after rhinoplasty ruin the nose?
It's been 2 weeks and the tip feels lower — did it fail?
I felt some pulling — was it okay to keep laughing anyway?
Responses to treatment and recovery progress vary by individual. Outcomes and side effects vary from person to person. Bleeding, infection, swelling and asymmetry may occur. Please consult our medical team before making a decision.