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CLINICAL PROCEDURE GUIDE
Alar Reduction
Alar reduction at Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam, Seoul narrows wide or flared nostrils and the nasal base, by an incisional or non-incisional technique chosen at examination.
Alar Reduction in Seoul at Le.J Plastic Surgery
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kim Ji Sun, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., Board-Certified Otolaryngologist · Le.J Plastic Surgery, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Alar reduction narrows wide or flared nostrils and the nasal base, so that the lower third of the nose sits in better proportion with the rest of it. At Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam, Seoul the operation is performed either with an incision or without one, and which of the two is used is decided from the individual anatomy rather than offered as a preference. Within the clinic's rhinoplasty range it is the procedure that addresses the nostrils and nasal base specifically, and it is performed personally by Dr. Kim Ji Sun, the clinic's founder and Medical Director and the listed performing doctor for the parent Rhinoplasty specialty.
What Is Alar Reduction?
Alar reduction narrows wide nostrils and the nasal base to improve the three-dimensional appearance and proportions of the nose.
The target is the nostrils and the nasal base — not the bridge and not the tip.
Two techniques exist: incisional and non-incisional. The choice follows the individual anatomy.
The incisional method removes tissue and closes the incision inward, around the curved portion of the nostril, so the external scar line is less prominent.
Sleep anaesthesia is used.
The clinic states an approximate procedure time of 30 minutes.
The change is structural and intended to be long-lasting.
It is worth being plain about what "long-lasting" means here, because it cuts both ways. A reduction that works stays done. A reduction that goes too far also stays done, and is harder to undo than to do. That is why the amount to remove is settled by measurement against the whole face rather than by how much narrowing a patient asks for, and why a surgeon who declines to take more is applying the technique correctly rather than being cautious for its own sake.
Who Performs Alar Reduction at Le.J Plastic Surgery
Dr. Kim Ji Sun, M.D., M.S., Ph.D.
Board-certified Otorhinolaryngologist
Alar reduction is performed personally by Dr. Kim Ji Sun, the clinic's founder and Medical Director and the listed performing doctor for the parent Rhinoplasty specialty.
Dr. Kim is a board-certified otolaryngologist who earned an M.D., a Master's degree and a Ph.D. from Dankook University College of Medicine, completed internship and residency at Dankook University Hospital, trained as a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Asan Medical Center, and has served as a Guest Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States.
Dr. Kim served as Rhinoplasty Hands-on Course Director from 2020 to 2022 under the Korean Society of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, was an invited speaker on functional rhinoplasty at the Seoul National University Hospital rhinoplasty workshop in 2021, and lectured on non-incisional rhinoplasty at the 11th KSFPRS educational course in 2025.
Le.J Plastic Surgery is a single-doctor clinic, so the surgeon who assesses your nose is the surgeon who operates on it. For this operation that matters more than the short procedure time suggests. Thirty minutes of surgery rests on a judgement made beforehand — how wide the nostrils actually are relative to the rest of the face, what is causing the width, and whether tissue removal or a non-incisional approach is the right answer. The assessment is the part that cannot be shortened.
Alar Reduction Options at Le.J Plastic Surgery
Incisional technique | Non-incisional technique | |
|---|---|---|
What it does | Tissue is removed and the incision is closed | Narrowing without tissue removal through an incision |
Closure | Inward, around the curved portion of the nostril, so the external scar line is less prominent | Not applicable |
Scar line | Part of the healing process, placed where it is least visible | No external incision line |
How it is chosen | By individual anatomy, at examination | By individual anatomy, at examination |
The clinic does not present these as a menu. Both are described as approaches selected according to anatomy, which means the useful question at consultation is not "can I have the one without the incision" but "what does my nostril shape call for, and why".
Who Is a Good Candidate for Alar Reduction?
Suitable candidates:
Patients with wide or flared nostrils who want to reduce nostril width and improve overall nasal proportions.
Patients who understand that the procedure creates a long-lasting structural change.
Who should be assessed carefully or postpone:
Patients with active infections or uncontrolled medical conditions.
Patients with factors that could interfere with wound healing or anaesthesia.
Patients seeking excessive narrowing, which requires careful assessment. This is the one that comes up most, and the reason is functional rather than aesthetic: taking too much can contribute to nasal stenosis and breathing difficulty.
Across its rhinoplasty work the clinic applies the general conditions too: completed facial growth, physically healthy, non-smoking. Obstructive sleep apnoea requires special consideration. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists the same conditions for the category, and adds a positive outlook with realistic goals.
What to Expect: Procedure, Recovery, and Results Timeline
The surgeon evaluates overall facial proportions and individual nasal anatomy before deciding how much reduction is appropriate and whether an incisional or non-incisional technique is suitable. The clinic states that 3D CT and endoscopy may be used when necessary to assess nasal structures and plan surgery.
During the procedure the surgeon assesses facial proportions and nasal structure, selects the appropriate technique, and performs the planned reduction. With the incisional technique, tissue is removed and the incision is closed inward around the curved portion of the nostril to make the external scar line less prominent.
Stage | What the clinic states |
|---|---|
Procedure time | Approximately 30 minutes |
Anaesthesia | Sleep anaesthesia |
Tape removal | Approximately 3 days after surgery |
Stitch removal | Approximately 7 days after surgery |
Return to everyday activities | After stitch removal |
Early visible change | As swelling subsides over the following weeks |
Further healing | Over several months |
The thirty-minute figure is the operating time and nothing else. The schedule that actually governs a trip is the one in the rest of the table: tape off at about day 3, stitches out at about day 7, and everyday activities after that. The clinic's own travel guidance is to plan on approximately seven days or longer in Korea, depending on the surgeon's review and the stitch-removal schedule, and to fly home only when the surgeon confirms it is safe to travel. The NHS gives the category-general version of the same advice, noting that air travel and major surgery both increase the risk of a blood clot and recommending no flying for 7 to 10 days after facial cosmetic procedures.
Temporary swelling, bruising, tenderness and discomfort may occur, and with the incisional technique a scar line is part of the healing process. Possible complications include bleeding, infection, visible scarring, asymmetry, nostril-shape changes, over-reduction, under-correction, wound-healing problems, dissatisfaction, and possible revision surgery. Excessive narrowing can contribute to nasal stenosis or breathing difficulties.
The category's baseline risks sit underneath those. The NHS notes that any operation also carries a small risk of excessive bleeding, a blood clot in a vein, infection, or an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic, and that nose reshaping can also occasionally result in permanent breathing difficulty, damage to the cartilage wall between the nostrils, an altered sense of smell, or heavy nosebleeds.
Aftercare is straightforward and time-bound: follow the surgeon's wound-care and activity instructions, attend the scheduled follow-up appointments, and have the stitches removed on the clinic's schedule. Seek medical advice for worsening pain, significant bleeding, fever, or breathing difficulties. Before surgery, discuss medical history, medications, allergies, previous nasal surgery and anaesthesia risks with the surgeon, and follow the clinic's instructions on fasting, medication adjustments, smoking and alcohol.
For patients returning to the United States, the recurring practical concerns are managing swelling on a long flight, protecting the nose during airport transfers, and arranging follow-up across time zones. If something feels wrong after returning home, patients can reach the clinic's English-speaking counselling manager by phone or email.
Combining Alar Reduction with Other Treatments
Alar reduction may be discussed alongside other nasal procedures when more than one aspect of nasal shape needs correction, and suitability depends on individual anatomy and the surgical plan. At programme level, the clinic states that procedures can combine bridge and tip reshaping with dermal grafting or facial lifting where appropriate, and combined surgery changes operating time, recovery and the length of stay.
The more useful comparison is within the clinic's own range, because the nasal procedures divide along different axes and are easy to confuse. Alar reduction is defined by its target — the nostrils and nasal base. Nostril retraction correction addresses the opposite complaint, a rim that sits too high and exposes too much of the nostril. Cell Fix™ Nose is a nasal-tip procedure using finely processed autologous cartilage. Closed rhinoplasty is defined by its access route, and non-implant rhinoplasty by its material. Depending on the concern, the alternatives outside surgery are no treatment at all, or a different nasal procedure that targets the part of the nose actually responsible for the appearance. Revision and complex cases are assessed individually by Dr. Kim Ji Sun at consultation.
Safety, Precision, and Clinic Standards
Le.J Plastic Surgery is a Registered Medical Institution for Attracting Foreign Patients, certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in compliance with the Medical Overseas Expansion and Foreign Patients Attraction Act.
The clinic's stated risk-reduction account for this operation has two parts. The first is assessment: overall facial proportions and nasal anatomy are evaluated before a technique is selected, with 3D CT and endoscopy used when necessary. The second is the closure itself — the incisional method uses an inward-curved closure intended to make the external scar less prominent, which is a technique choice aimed at the one visible consequence patients ask about most. Postoperative monitoring follows, and the clinic's recovery facilities include hyperbaric oxygen equipment.
The AAO-HNS Foundation's clinical practice guideline on improving nasal form and function after rhinoplasty is the category's own account of good practice, and is a reasonable yardstick when comparing surgeons in any country. It is worth reading precisely because this operation is small: a short procedure under sedation can look like a minor one, and the function-related part of the guideline is the reminder that the nostrils are an airway before they are a feature.
Le.J Plastic Surgery publishes neither case volumes nor complication rates for this procedure, and this page claims neither. It also publishes no exclusion list of its own. Both are fair questions at consultation, as is the one worth asking any surgeon in this category: how many of these operations they have performed, how many involved complications, and what follow-up to expect if something goes wrong.
The Bottom Line
Alar reduction narrows wide or flared nostrils and the nasal base, improving the proportions of the lower third of the nose.
Two techniques exist, incisional and non-incisional, and the choice is made from your anatomy at examination.
The incisional method closes inward around the curve of the nostril so the external scar line is less prominent.
The clinic states approximately 30 minutes under sleep anaesthesia; tape comes off at about 3 days and stitches at about 7.
The change is long-lasting in both directions. Over-reduction can contribute to nasal stenosis and breathing difficulty, which is why conservative measurement matters more than the figure you arrive with.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much narrower will my nostrils be? That is decided by measurement, not by request. The surgeon evaluates overall facial proportions and individual nasal anatomy before deciding how much reduction is appropriate. Patients seeking excessive narrowing require careful assessment, because taking too much can contribute to nasal stenosis and breathing difficulties — and unlike a swelling-related change, that one does not settle on its own.
Will there be a visible scar? With the incisional technique, a scar line is part of the healing process. The clinic's method closes the incision inward around the curved portion of the nostril, which is intended to make the external scar line less prominent. Visible scarring is also listed among the possible complications, so the honest answer is that the technique is designed to place and shape the scar well, not to guarantee that nobody will ever see it. The non-incisional technique leaves no external incision line, but it is selected by anatomy rather than chosen.
How long does the procedure take, and what anaesthesia is used? The clinic lists an approximate procedure time of 30 minutes, under sleep anaesthesia. The anaesthesia plan depends on your medical condition and on whether other nasal procedures are performed at the same time.
How long do I need to stay in Korea? Plan for approximately 7 days or longer, depending on the surgeon's review and the stitch-removal schedule. Tape comes off at around day 3 and stitches at around day 7, and everyday activities resume after stitch removal. Fly home only when your surgeon confirms it is safe to travel, allowing time for postoperative review and an assessment of healing.
When will I see the result? Initial results become more noticeable as swelling subsides over the following weeks, with further healing over several months. The exact timeline varies with individual healing and with how much reduction was performed.
Is the result permanent? The clinic describes alar reduction as creating a long-lasting structural change, and results are generally long-lasting. Individual outcomes still vary, and under-correction, over-reduction and asymmetry are all listed among the possible complications, with revision surgery possible.
What should I do before surgery? Discuss your medical history, medications, allergies, previous nasal procedures and anaesthesia concerns with the surgeon, and confirm the preoperative instructions. Avoid smoking, and follow the surgeon's instructions on medications, supplements, alcohol, and food or drink before anaesthesia. Arrange enough time for the postoperative review and stitch removal before you travel.
Book a Consultation at Le.J Plastic Surgery
Alar reduction is performed at Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam-gu, Seoul by Dr. Kim Ji Sun. Because how much to reduce depends on your whole facial proportion rather than on the nostrils alone, the consultation does the deciding and the operation carries it out. Consultations run Monday to Friday, 10:00–19:00 KST, and Saturday from 10:00 KST. International enquiries are handled by the clinic's counseling manager, Park Somi, and English-language support is available. If you are travelling from abroad, plan around stitch removal at about day 7 rather than around the thirty-minute procedure time. You can use the clinic's contact page, by phone on +82-2-516-7153, or by email at info@lejplasticsurgery.com.
Disclaimer
This page is for general information only and is not medical advice. Individual results vary and cannot be guaranteed. Suitability for any procedure can only be determined through an in-person medical consultation with a qualified doctor.
Sources & Further Reading
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