What's the Best Material for Nose Implant?

I feel that the best tissue for augmentation and repair of the nose is your own cartilage. Septal cartilage is best, as it is harvested from the same surgical site, your nose. Unfortunately, dorsal augmentation is often times required in individuals who do not have a sufficient amount of cartilage in the septum and therefor alternative sites for cartilage will need to be utilized. These would include auricle and possibly rib. Many surgeons chose to use silicone, gortex, or medpor for... more

The best material by far is your own tissue like your own septum, ear or rib cartilage as it has less chance for rejection and infection but does require more time, more expertise and has a donor site incisions.

Nasal augmentation in Asian rhinoplasty is best achieved using your own cartilage if you have sufficient quantity available. Silastic or solid silicone implants are an acceptable alternative if you do not have sufficient cartilage in your nose and ear or if you do not want to use rib cartilage. I always prefer native cartilage first if you have enough or arw willing to use rib cartilage as well although many patients are satisfied with a solid implant. The risks of infection, extrusion,... more

Silastic implants are an acceptable alternative to Asian augmentation rhinoplasty. It is important that only the nasal dorsal implants are used and not the L-shaped struts. The L-shaped struts tend to put too much pressure on the tip, nose, and bridge, and very often extrude. A moderately sized, small or medium-sized nasal dorsal implant works beautifully in the nasal bridge to augment the Asian nose.

All implants have in common several complications: infection, movement, warping, resorption and extrusion. These complications are greatly reduced whenever we use your own body's tissues .Whenever possible we try and borrow your own tissues. When those areas are no longer available, we resort to using man-made implants. The problem with them is that EVENTUALLY they either come out or will have to be removed. Good Luck.

The best implant is whatever tissue occurs in that area naturally. For the nose, bone or cartilage are the naural materials. They can come from the nose itself, a rib, or borrowed from the ear. Your own tissues are better than any kind of banked tissue. My experience with silicone nasal implants is that they are a very convenient shortcut which works well in the thicker skin of Asians and African Americans. They are poor in the thinner skin of caucasians and will too often erode... more