Levator alae nasi muscle V-Y island flap for nasal tip reconstruction

Nasal tip reconstruction can be very challenging. It requires close attention to skin texture, colour and thickness matching, with the respect of the nasal aesthetic units and symmetry. Flaps are usually preferred to skin grafts where possible. Based on different donor areas, various flaps have been described for reconstruction of this region. Here we present a new V-Y myocutaneous island flap based on the levator alae nasi muscle (LAN muscle) blood supply. This flap may represent an alternative to the nasalis myocutaneous sliding V-Y flap previously described by Rybka. As its pivot point it is located more cranially than the nasalis flap, and it can advance more medially than the Rybka flap, with the possibility of covering larger defects of the nasal tip area, up to 1.8 cm in diameter. Over the past 5 years, 24 patients received nasal tip reconstruction with this flap following the resection of basal cell carcinomas. Good tip projection was maintained, and the aesthetic outcome was satisfactory, with well healed scars. We recommend this technique as an alternative to other flaps for nasal tip defects, especially if paramedian.