Nostril Retraction Correction

Nostril Retraction Correction 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

Nostril retraction correction reduces excessive nostril exposure, improves the three-dimensional appearance of the nasal tip, and corrects the appearance of a nose that looks overly lifted. At Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam, Seoul the correction is performed through alar surgery, and a dermal graft may be added when additional coverage is needed to improve the nasal-tip shape. Within the clinic's rhinoplasty range it is the reconstructive procedure of the group — the one that puts a rim back where it belongs rather than reshaping a feature — 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 Nostril Retraction Correction?

Nostril retraction correction is surgery to lower a nostril rim that sits too high, so that less of the inside of the nostril is visible from the front.

• The complaint it treats is alar retraction: nostrils that look excessively raised, or that expose too much of the inside of the nose.

• Three stated aims: less visible nostril exposure, better three-dimensionality at the nasal tip, and correction of a nose that looks overly lifted.

• The operation is performed through alar surgery, with dermal grafting when additional coverage is needed.

• Sleep anaesthesia is used.

• The clinic states a duration of approximately one hour and two postoperative sessions.

The useful distinction to hold on to is that this is not the same family of question as narrowing or refining a nose. Retraction has a cause underneath it — cartilage sitting in the wrong position, not enough cartilage, scarring from earlier surgery, or simply not enough skin or lining to cover the distance. Correction works on whichever of those is responsible, which is why the examination carries so much of the operation and why no two plans look the same.

Who Performs Nostril Retraction Correction at Le.J Plastic Surgery

Dr. Kim Ji Sun, M.D., M.S., Ph.D.
Board-certified Otorhinolaryngologist

Nostril retraction correction 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. On a corrective operation that is the whole point rather than a convenience. Whether the rim can be brought down, how far, and whether a graft is needed to hold it there are questions answered by looking at the cartilage, the scarring and the available tissue — and the answers change the plan on the table, not only before it.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Nostril Retraction Correction?

Suitable candidates:

• Patients with excessive nostril exposure caused by alar retraction who want to reduce visible nostril exposure and improve the appearance of the nasal tip.

• Patients whose severity and cause of retraction, cartilage position, available skin and soft tissue, and personal goals have been assessed by the surgeon as suitable.

Who should be assessed carefully or postpone:

• Patients with an active infection, uncontrolled medical conditions, or significant healing concerns.

• Patients with unacceptable surgical or anaesthesia risks.

• Patients with insufficient supporting tissue, which may limit certain graft techniques. This is the constraint specific to this operation — a rim has to be held in its new position by something, and if there is not enough tissue to do it, the technique changes.

• Patients with previous nasal surgery, which requires careful assessment rather than ruling the operation out. Retraction is itself a recognised consequence of earlier nasal surgery, so a revision history is common here rather than exceptional.

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 consultation assesses nostril exposure, the position of the alar rim, nasal-tip shape and facial proportions, and looks for the underlying cause — cartilage malposition, cartilage deficiency, scarring, or insufficient skin or lining. The clinic states that 3D CT and nasal endoscopy may be used when necessary for more detailed evaluation and surgical planning.

The clinic describes the operation in six steps: consultation and nasal examination; assessment of the cause and severity of retraction; selection of an appropriate surgical technique and graft, if required; surgical repositioning and support of the retracted nostril rim; dermal grafting when additional coverage is needed; and wound care with postoperative follow-up. The exact technique depends on the patient's anatomy and the surgeon's plan.

Stage	What the clinic states
Surgical duration	Approximately 1 hour
Anaesthesia	Sleep (sedation) anaesthesia
Postoperative visits	2 sessions after surgery
Stitch removal	Approximately 5–7 days after surgery
Return to daily activities	After stitch removal
Suggested stay in Korea	Approximately 10 to 15 days
Flying home	After 10 to 15 days
Further refinement	Several months, sometimes up to a year

Two numbers in that table need reading together, because they look inconsistent and are not. Stitches come out at about 5 to 7 days and daily activities resume then; the stay the clinic suggests is 10 to 15 days. The longer figure is the one to plan a trip around. It covers the two postoperative sessions and leaves room for the surgeon to look at how the repositioned rim is settling before signing off on a long flight. The NHS makes the category-general case for not compressing that window, 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.

Returning to daily activities after stitch removal does not mean healing is complete. Swelling and tissue remodelling may continue for weeks or months, and general rhinoplasty recovery guidance indicates that refinement can continue for several months and sometimes up to a year.

Possible temporary effects include swelling, bruising, tenderness, tightness and temporary numbness, and nasal congestion may occur depending on the surgical approach. Potential complications include infection, bleeding, asymmetry, contour irregularities, visible or palpable graft edges, scarring, graft resorption or displacement, incomplete correction, recurrence, breathing changes, and revision surgery. Individual risk depends on the surgical technique and on patient characteristics. Two of those belong to this operation in particular: a graft can be seen or felt at its edge, and the correction can recur — including through scar contraction as healing progresses, which is the same mechanism that caused the retraction in many cases to begin with.

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 covers wound care, swelling management, activity restrictions and follow-up visits. Avoid pressure or trauma to the nose during healing, attend the scheduled review and stitch-removal appointment, and seek prompt medical attention for severe or worsening symptoms. Before surgery, provide a full medical history including previous nasal surgery, allergies, medications, supplements, smoking and anaesthesia history, and follow the surgeon's instructions on fasting, nicotine, alcohol and medication management. Do not stop prescribed medication, including aspirin or blood thinners, without medical advice.

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. The clinic suggests asking directly whether remote follow-up is available after returning home. If something feels wrong after returning home, patients can reach the clinic's English-speaking counselling manager by phone or email.

Combining Nostril Retraction Correction with Other Treatments

The clinic states that dermal grafting may be incorporated when additional coverage is needed to improve the nasal-tip shape, and that combining this correction with alar reduction, tip refinement or other nasal procedures may be considered in selected cases. Combined surgery may change operating time, recovery and the length of stay. At programme level, the clinic states that procedures can combine bridge and tip reshaping with dermal grafting or facial lifting where appropriate.

Within the clinic's own range the nasal procedures divide along different axes, and this one is the easiest to confuse with its neighbour. Alar reduction is a different operation, intended to reduce the width of the nostrils rather than lower a retracted nostril rim — the clinic says so in those terms. 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.

Outside surgery, the options are observation when treatment is not necessary, other reconstructive rhinoplasty techniques, or selected non-surgical treatments when appropriate. One of these deserves a direct answer because it is asked often: dermal fillers are not equivalent to surgical correction and may not address structural alar retraction. 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.

What the clinic documents for this operation is its assessment equipment rather than a technique-specific risk-reduction protocol: 3D CT scanning and nasal endoscopy when needed for preoperative evaluation, and a hyperbaric oxygen therapy device within its safety and recovery system. Postoperative monitoring follows, and the clinic's recovery facilities include hyperbaric oxygen equipment. The clinic has not published technique details specific to this correction, and this page does not supply any in their place.

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. For a corrective operation it is worth more than usual, because the guideline's framing — form and function together — is exactly the trade-off a retracted rim presents.

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

• Nostril retraction correction lowers a nostril rim that sits too high, reducing visible nostril exposure and improving the three-dimensionality of the nasal tip.

• It is performed through alar surgery, with dermal grafting when additional coverage is needed.

• The clinic states approximately one hour under sleep anaesthesia, two postoperative sessions, and stitch removal at about 5 to 7 days.

• Plan for 10 to 15 days in Korea; that figure, not the stitch date, is what a trip should be built around.

• Recurrence is possible, including from scar contraction during healing, and a graft may be visible or palpable at its edge. Neither is a reason not to operate; both are reasons to ask what the plan does about them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes a retracted nostril in the first place? The clinic lists four possibilities it assesses for: cartilage malposition, cartilage deficiency, scarring, or insufficient skin or lining. Identifying which one applies is part of the consultation, because the correction works on the cause rather than on the appearance alone. Scarring from previous nasal surgery is a common one, which is why a revision history is assessed carefully rather than treated as a disqualification.

Will I need a graft? Only if additional coverage is needed to improve the nasal-tip shape — the clinic describes dermal grafting as something that may be incorporated, not as a fixed part of the operation. Insufficient supporting tissue may limit certain graft techniques, so whether a graft is possible and whether it is necessary are both settled at examination.

Can fillers do this instead? No. The clinic states plainly that dermal fillers are not equivalent to surgical correction and may not address structural alar retraction. If the rim is retracted because of cartilage position, deficiency or scarring, adding volume elsewhere does not move it.

How long does the surgery take, and how many visits are there? The clinic states a duration of approximately one hour under sleep anaesthesia, and two postoperative sessions. Stitches come out at approximately 5 to 7 days.

How long should I stay in Korea, and when can I fly? Approximately 10 to 15 days, and the clinic's guidance is to fly after that same 10-to-15-day window. The stitch-removal date at 5 to 7 days is an earlier milestone, not a departure date.

When will the result look final? Some improvement may become visible as early swelling settles, but the final contour takes longer to assess. General rhinoplasty recovery guidance indicates that refinement can continue for several months and sometimes up to a year. The clinic asks that the expected timeline for this specific procedure be confirmed with Dr. Kim.

Can the retraction come back? Recurrence is possible, including from scar contraction during healing. Incomplete correction and graft resorption or displacement are also among the listed complications, and revision surgery is possible. This is a realistic feature of corrective nasal surgery rather than a sign that something went wrong, and it is a reasonable thing to ask about before deciding.

What do I need to tell the surgeon beforehand? A full medical history: previous nasal surgery, allergies, medications, supplements, smoking and anaesthesia history. Follow the clinic's instructions on fasting, nicotine, alcohol and medication management, and do not stop prescribed medication — including aspirin or blood thinners — unless the treating clinician tells you to. Confirm the required tests, documents and preparation schedule with the clinic directly.

Book a Consultation at Le.J Plastic Surgery

Nostril retraction correction is performed at Le.J Plastic Surgery in Gangnam-gu, Seoul by Dr. Kim Ji Sun. Because the correction follows the cause rather than the appearance, the consultation — nostril exposure, rim position, tip shape, facial proportions, and 3D CT or endoscopy where needed — is what determines whether and how the operation proceeds. 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, build the trip around the 10-to-15-day stay rather than the stitch-removal date, and ask about remote follow-up before you leave. 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

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons — Rhinoplasty: Candidates

• NHS — Cosmetic procedures: Nose reshaping (rhinoplasty)

• NHS — Cosmetic surgery abroad

• AAO-HNS Foundation — Clinical Practice Guideline: Improving Nasal Form and Function after Rhinoplasty