Nostril reshaping could affect breathing, Turkish physician warns

ISTANBUL

A Turkish physician warned about the nostril reshaping, saying it could result in breathing problems.

“Nostril reduction is a surgery that can be performed with local anesthesia. If there is the slightest hesitation that it may cause difficulty in breathing, the operation should not be performed and should be re-evaluated after the healing is completed,” said Dr. Erkan Soylu, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Istanbul’s Medipol Mega University Hospital.

After recovery, if the patient's breathing is quite adequate, but the nostrils seem too large, it can be completed in a short time as an additional surgery with local anesthesia, Soylu added.

Underlining that not every wide nostril can be reduced, he said nostril reduction should not be performed in patients with long and wide nostrils but narrow nasal bases.

“In these patients, it is a small fold at the base of the nose that keeps the nostrils open, and if removed, it can lead to breathing problems that are very difficult to correct,” he stressed.

The physician advised his colleagues not to perform nostril reduction as much as possible. If it is necessary, the reshaping should be done at the very last stage of the surgery and without exaggeration, he added.

Nostrils should be wide and strong enough to breathe comfortably during rest, exercise and sleep, Soylu explained.

“The nostrils should be symmetrical and similar in shape to the wings of a seagull flying in the sky at the opposite glance… The optimal natural shape of the nostrils, which may not be the case for everyone, should resemble the shape of a drop,” he said.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara