Objective. To develop the algorithm for selecting donor material from various facial zones and surgical approach for external nasal defect repair considering the theory of nasal subunits.

Material and methods. The study included 15 healthy people without nasal defects. In these ones, we chose 4 points on the face corresponding to the main areas for donor material harvesting in nasal defect closure and 4 points on the nose corresponding to the main nasal subunits. We analyzed skin thickness and color and compared these parameters in different areas of the face and nose using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Thus, we determined the most optimal donor zone for each subunit. Twenty patients were operated on according to the developed algorithm.

Results. We determined the most optimal donor zones for each subunit considering thickness and color of facial zones. We developed the algorithm for selecting donor material from various facial zones and surgical approach for external nasal defect repair considering the theory of nasal subunits.

Keywords. external nasal defects, reconstruction, theory of nasal subunits, donor material, aesthetic result