Will Medpor Nose Implant Hold for a Lifetime?

asked 2 years ago by lilywu in NY
Latest answer by Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
Question viewed 2,962 times
Tags: age 25-34, bridge, nose, female, Asian, tip

I am a 30-year-old Asian female. I have consulted with a rhinoplasty doctor about improving my nose. I have never had nose surgery before. He said that in order to build up my bridge and possibly my tip he would use Medpor.

My question is, since I am relatively young, will Medpor implant hold throughout my entire life? Could I be let's say 100 years old (like my great grandmother who is 104) with a Medpor implant in my nose since I was 30 years old?

11 answers to Will Medpor Nose Implant Hold for a Lifetime?

Best to use natural tissue for nasal implant

Hello, There are many better ways to build up your bridge and tip other than Medpor. I usually use rib cartilage with the tissue covering called perichondrium. I will also use cartilage from the septum if there is enough, and ear cartilage as well. The best is the rib cartilage. It is always best to use natural tissue rather then an implant Hope this helps answer your question. Please see my profile for my contact information, and feel free to send any photos to my office where I... more

Paul S. Nassif, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Medpor nose implant longevity

Dear Lily, Probably not. Medpore implants are among the best tolerated implants because their porous nature allows your blood vessels to grow into the implant and make it more like a part of your body. This makes them less apt to move than silicone elastomers which become surrounded by scar tissue but are not fixated to the underlying structures. Another item the goes in your favor is that Asian skin IS thicker than Caucasian skin and is generally better able to tolerate an underlying... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Maybe yes or no.

This is not the best choice for you in my opinion based on 30 years of rhinoplasty surgery. You have plenty of tissue yourself in your septum and ears. This is a much better choice. See an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon to have another opinion.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Options for nasal dorsal augmentation

There are many options for augmenting the nasal dorsum including your own cartilage from the septum or ears, rib grafts, banked cartilage, and various prosthetic materials. The prosthetics include Medpor but more commonly silicone elastomers. Unfortunately, nothing that is prosthetic can be guaranteed forever.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Options for augmenting the nasal dorsum (building up the bridge or your nose).

It is possible but not likely. More importantly it ican be very difficult to remove because your tissues grow into it. Your best option is to proceed with your own tissue using septal, conchal, costal cartilage (in that order) or possily calvarial or iliac crest bone grafts. There are plenty of other implants including irradiated cadaver rib cartilage or a variety of alloplastic materials such as silicone or gortex.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Medpor Nasal Implants

Hi, I have been performing Ethnic rhinoplasty for the last 15 years. Many if not all of my ethnic patients request nasal augmentation. I believe that the best implant in my hands is a custom carved silastic implant. Siliastic implants are easily shaped, carved and can be removed under local anasthesia if necessary. Medpor implants are hard and difficult to work with. They are also very hard to remove if they get infected. Medpor nasal implants don't look natural. Depending on how... more

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Rhinoplasty, Nasal Surgery, Revision Rhinoplasty, Best Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty, Best Los Angeles Rhinoplasty, World's Best Rhi

I have performed Rhinoplasty for over 20 years and have seen all sorts of material used to build up the nasal bridge. I prefer using a silastic nasal implant ( not L shaped) because it is inert, won't dissolve and can be removed should you ever decide to do so. Medpore can become integrated into your nasal bone which would make it impossible to remove should it shift prior to that point....or if you simply decided to take it out later for any reason.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Longevity of Medpor nasal implant

A Medpor implant should hold up throughout the lifetime of the nose as long as it does not get infected in the initial postoperative period. Silastic implants also work quite well in the nose and do not degrade over time.

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Implants for use in rhinoplasty

Medpor may hold up for your lifetime, but it does carry a risk of exposure. If this occurs, it will most likely need to be removed and replaced with either rib cartilage, ear cartilage, Medpor, or silione. Talk with your surgeon about the use of ear cartilage or rib cartilage. They carry a much lower risk of infection and exposure, and are safely performed daily. Good luck!

Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Medpor nasal implant

An implant that is not your own tissue may or may not last a lifetime. There are other solutions for nasal augmentation. Rib cartilage, septal , or ear cartilage harvesting are good options or other products like irradiated cartilage.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Implants for augmentation rhinoplasty

There are many autologous implants that have been used successfully in dorsal augmentation for rhinoplasty. I prefer to use septal, ear, and in more extreme cases, which one might encounter in an Asian nose, I prefer rib cartilage. Medpor, silicone, and gortex have very good safety profiles but, they never become part of you and are always susceptible to injury or infection. In the case of medpor, this can be a difficult problem to treat without removing the graft. I know of many surgeons... more