About nine years ago, I underwent an alar lift at [Clinic A]. I am conservative about cosmetic surgery, so I did not want silicone in my nose or surgery altering the tip structure. I wanted to improve whatever could be improved without leaving an implant or scar on my body.
My alae were drooping, and after researching ways to improve them, I decided on an alar lift. It was not common at the time, so I consulted three clinics before choosing [Clinic A]. The price was relatively high, and I may have been attracted to the expensive clinic because I was swayed by the marketing term “luxury rhinoplasty.”
The surgery did lift my alae, but the scar was very visible from below. I could accept the pre-existing nostril asymmetry, but the scar was larger than expected. Because the incision was intranasal, I thought it would not show, but it was placed too superficially, leaving a raised scar that was clearly visible from a lower angle. I also developed a line where the nasal floor meets the ala, as if that area had been incised. I do not know the exact cause. Since the stitches were close to the nostril, stitch marks also remained on the outer skin of the right nostril.
These issues were not visible from the front, so I decided to live with them. Then one day a partner asked whether I had had nose surgery. Someone who saw my face up close from various angles may have noticed the unnatural appearance. Years later, another partner said, “It really looks like a surgically altered nose.” It may have been a compliment, but I felt embarrassed that the unnaturalness had been noticed.
After that, I became self-conscious whenever someone looked closely at my face and decided to seek treatment. I returned to [Clinic A], where the original surgery had been performed, but they offered no other solution and only gave me an injection for scar tissue. It had no effect at all.
I searched again and began visiting various clinics. My goal was to improve the existing scar and unnatural appearance. About five years ago, I decided to undergo surgery at another clinic. I was told: “The first incision was made too close to the nostril. I cannot use that scar line for my incision; I would make a deeper incision and lift it, which might make the scar less visible. An incision at such a shallow depth should not have been made, so it seems the first surgery was performed incorrectly.”
Looking back, there were probably not many cases of alar lifts at the time, and the incision may have been placed superficially to make visualization easier. I eventually had revision surgery, and it was also less expensive. The alae were lifted slightly and the visible scar improved somewhat. I was satisfied with the second surgery itself, but the unnatural appearance still did not disappear completely. The area incised too low during the first surgery may be impossible to restore.
I lived that way, but recently the unnatural appearance has started bothering me again, so I have been searching online for a solution. The photos were taken just now while writing this post, showing how I look after the revision improved things. Previously, the internal nasal scar was more visible and looked more unnatural.
When I recently visited [Clinic A]’s website, I saw a procedure called “fourth-generation alar lift.” Perhaps the technique has improved, but as someone who received a poor surgery in the past, I honestly feel somewhat resentful. If anyone who has had an alar lift has a protruding scar in a shallow area like mine and similar alar folding, and knows how it might be improved, I would appreciate your advice.