The Role of Lateral Crural Turnover Flaps in Enhancing the Supra-alar Crease in Middle Eastern Noses

Abstract

Background: Middle Eastern noses are characterized bythick sebaceous skin and week alar cartilage, which may leadsto poorly defined nasal tip, depressed tip, poorly defined ala,ill-defined supra-alar crease, and external nasal valve collapse.Aim of Work: Is to investigate the lateral crural turnoverflap technique as a method to enhance the supra-alar creasein those patients, by strengthening the lateral crura of theweek lower lateral cartilage.Material and Methods: The study included 20 MiddleEastern patients, 14 females and 6 males, Age ranging from25-45 years, all patients underwent lateral crural turnoverflaps while doing their open rhinoplasties. We used this flapin our study to strengthen the lateral crura of the week lowerlateral cartilage in Middle Eastern noses, and at the same timeto gain the advantage of having the same effect of doingcephalic trim in these noses, but without excising the cartilage.This turnover flap results in tip definition, tip elevation, andit gives a well-defined supra-alar crease which results in amore alar definition and leads to a more narrowing of thecaudal part of the nose.Results: All of the study patients were satisfied with theaesthetic appearance of their noses postoperative.Conclusion: The turnover alar cartilage flap improves theesthetic appearance of the nasal tip by enhancing the the alarand supra-alar crease definition of Middle Eastern noses.