What's the Best Material for Nose Implant?

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, migration and asymmetry are higher with solid implants. Good luck with your decision.

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.

 

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 augmentation and have good results. My hesitation is in line with yours in that it is a foreign substance that is always at risk for infection or extrusion.

 For more than 30 years I have used ear and or septal cartilage along with soft tissue which I feel gives the best results for the long term.

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.