The nasal alar is an important subunit of nasal aesthetics. The nose of East Asian people is often accompanied by flat, broad nasal alae, giving the nose an overall bloated, lackluster appearance. In the past, nasal alar aesthetics did not attract enough attention. In recent years, with the increasing demand for the overall aesthetics of the nose, the importance of nasal alar aesthetics has been rekindled in people’s consciousness, and nasal alar reconstruction has become an important subdirection of rhinoplasty. The alar morphology is shaped by reducing the alar size and correcting the alar rim retraction, so as to achieve the harmony and beauty of the whole nose. This article reviews the research progress of nasal alar anatomy and aesthetics, and summarizes the current techniques of nasal alar reconstruction.