Comparison of Supra-Alar Crease Deepening Following Septorhinoplasty in Two Techniques: Lateral Crura Steal Versus Lateral Crura Overlay

Nasal tip correction is one of the most challenging parts of rhinoplasty. The objective of the study was to compare the prevalence of supra-alar crease deepening in lateral crura steal (LCS) and lateral crura overlay (LCO) techniques.

In this prospective study, eligible patients referred to a university hospital for septorhinoplasty during 2022 were included.

The study was conducted on 200 patients in two groups (100 patients in each group), 162 were women and 38 men with a mean age of 31.12 ± 0.60 years. In the third month of follow-up, 36.5% of all studied patients had supra-alar crease deepening, of whom 13% were in the interrupt group and 23.5% were in the steal group (P = 0.002); however, only 4% in the LCO and 9% in the LCS group had aesthetic or breathing disorders (P = 0.25). Deepening of the alar crease was not significantly related to the skin thickness in the two techniques.

According to the results, both LCO and LCS techniques are effective in achieving successful outcomes, although the problematic supra-alar crease deepening is less common in the LCO group; therefore, it seems to be a more suitable option in cases where there is a greater need to tip rotation, although this finding was not statistically significant.

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