A low-nose surgery case that read the nasolabial angle too — why a protrusive-looking impression was handled without an implant
2024. 3. 8.
If the mouth looks protrusive in profile without actual protrusion, the angle connecting columella and lips — the nasolabial angle — may be the cause. The limits of 'cat surgery' placing an implant at the nasolabial angle, and a low-nose-surgery case correcting even the angle through nose surgery alone — organized.
Key points
- If the mouth looks protrusive in profile without actual protrusion, it may be because the nasolabial angle connecting columella and lips sits sunken.
- A method placing an implant like silicone at the nasolabial angle — being an area with lots of movement right above the mouth — requires explanation of movement·foreign-body-sensation possibilities together.
- In this case, even the nasolabial angle got corrected through nose surgery alone without inserting an implant.
A case of someone who came for a first surgery over a nose looking small and low relative to large eyes.
The nose shape itself wasn't bad but felt overall low and ordinary — and the person wanted a somewhat glamorous height. But characteristically, a slightly protrusive-looking mouth was observed in profile. This article organizes the story not of nose surgery but of the 'nasolabial angle' that was its cause.
01
Why does the mouth look protrusive without actual protrusion?
Even without a problem like a protrusive mouth, the mouth looking protrusive is because of the nasolabial angle — the angle connecting columella and lips. In this case too, viewing the side, the nasolabial angle right below the nose could be confirmed sitting at a sunken angle.
In other words, the mouth itself isn't protruding — the angle below the nose sits collapsed, making the mouth look relatively prominent. So this kind of impression gets approached from the nose side, not the mouth.
02
Can't an implant just be placed at the nasolabial angle via cat surgery?
For a sunken nasolabial angle there's also a method giving the area volume with an implant like silicone. But being an area with lots of movement right above the mouth, movement·foreign-body-sensation possibilities and other correction methods must be compared together.
| Cat surgery (implant) limits | Reason |
|---|---|
| Implant movement possibility | An area with lots of movement right above the mouth |
| Foreign-body sensation possibility | An implant resting on a high-movement area |
| Awkwardness possible during expression·chewing | The implant area may move along |
So in this case, no implant was inserted at all — a method correcting even the nasolabial angle through nose surgery alone was chosen.
03
How did the impression change after surgery?
After correcting the nasolabial angle together during nose surgery, change could be observed in the facial impression. In this case, the nasolabial angle was handled together within nose surgery without an implant.
The before/after change can be seen alongside other cases in the before & after photos.
04
Summary — read the angle below the nose, not the mouth
A mouth-looking-protrusive impression in profile isn't only a protrusive-mouth problem — it also arises from a sunken nasolabial angle. The method placing an implant at the nasolabial angle has limits given the high-movement area's nature — so in this case, even the nasolabial angle got corrected within nose surgery. That's why planning low-nose surgery reads not just nose height but the angle below the nose together.
If curious whether your impression relates to the nasolabial angle, it can be confirmed directly in a 1:1 video consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions patients ask before a consultation.
What is the nasolabial angle that it makes the mouth look protrusive?
How is it different from cat surgery?
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.