In short. The part of a nose plan with a scar that does not go away: what determines how it fades, why it is sometimes better left alone, and how to weigh a visible mark.
Key points
- This is the only part of most nose plans with a scar on the outside of the nose.
- It sits in the crease beside the nostril and it is small, and it is permanent.
- The question worth asking is not whether it will be visible — it will, on close inspection — but whether the change it buys is one you would trade it for.
Narrowing the nostril base is the part of a nose plan that leaves a mark on the outside of the face. It is also often the change a patient most wanted, and both of those things are true at the same time. Deciding well means holding them together rather than resolving them in one direction.
What the change actually does
Narrowing the base changes how the nose reads from the front rather than from the side. It reduces the width across the nostrils, which in a face where the base is wide can be the single change that makes the nose sit better with the rest of the features. It does not change the profile, the bridge or the tip, and a patient whose concern is the profile may not need it at all.
A permanent mark for a front-view change
This is the only part of most nose plans with a scar on the outside of the nose. It sits in the crease beside the nostril and it is small, and it is permanent. The question worth asking is not whether it will be visible — it will, on close inspection — but whether the change it buys is one you would trade it for.
What determines how it fades
Three things. Your skin type is the largest: darker skin darkens at incision sites more readily and forms raised scars more often, and that risk is managed rather than removed. The closure matters — how the tissue is brought together and how much tension sits on the line. And the months afterwards matter: sun on a healing scar is one of the few things a patient fully controls.
Why it is sometimes better left alone
Where the real concern is the profile, the base is often a distraction. Where the skin is prone to raised scars, the risk attaches to a change that may matter less than the mark it leaves. And where the plan is already large, adding an external scar to an operation that could have avoided one deserves a clear reason.
How to decide
Ask to see the incision line drawn on your own nose, and ask what the base would look like if it were left alone. Ask what your skin type has done with previous scars, and what the plan does about the scar afterwards. A surgeon who can describe both versions of the result is giving you a decision rather than a recommendation.
Reasons to think twice about the base
- A personal or family history of raised or darkened scars, which raises the risk at a site that is always visible.
- A concern that is entirely about the profile, where narrowing the base buys nothing you wanted.
- No plan for protecting and treating the scar in the year after the operation.
The scar is the part of this decision that cannot be traded back. Weighing it before rather than afterwards is the whole of the judgment.
Frequently asked questions
Is the scar from narrowing the nostril base permanent?
Yes. It is placed in the crease beside the nostril, it is small, and it does not disappear. It matures and softens over a year or more, and how pale it becomes depends on your skin type, on how the closure was made and on how well it is protected from the sun. No surgeon can promise that it will be invisible.
Can the base be narrowed without an external scar?
Not usually to the same degree. The change comes from removing tissue at the junction between the nostril and the cheek, which requires an incision on the outside. A plan that promises a narrowed base with no external mark is either describing a much smaller change or describing something the operation does not do.
When is it better to leave the base alone?
When the width is not what actually bothers you, when your skin is prone to raised or darkened scars, or when the change you want is in the profile rather than the front view. A wide base rarely reads as the main problem in a face whose profile is the real concern, and the scar is permanent even if the result is not what you hoped.
Risks & Limitations
- Every operation carries risk, and no result can be guaranteed.
- A thicker soft-tissue envelope hides detail and holds swelling for many months, so the visible change reads smaller and settles more slowly than on a thin nose.
- Scars are permanent, including the small lines beside the nostrils when the base is narrowed and the scar at any ear or rib donor site.
- In darker skin, incision sites are more likely to darken and raised scars are more common. This is managed rather than prevented.
- The result is judged at 12 months, and thicker skin keeps settling into a second year. Revision is a harder operation than the first.
When to Seek Care
- Difficulty breathing or chest pain — seek emergency care immediately.
- Fever with spreading redness, warmth or discharge from a wound or donor site.
- Bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure.
- A wound that opens, or pain at the donor site that is worsening rather than settling.
References & Further Reading
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) — procedure and safety guidance
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance
- Cochrane Library — systematic reviews
- Chinese Medical Association Plastic Surgery Branch — clinical guidance
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.