Do permanent sutures in the nose have risks?

This is somewhat controversial. Permanent sutures have a higher risk of infection and extrusion than non-permanent sutures. Hence, I refrain from using permanent sutures in the nose as slowly resorbable sutures yield the same results in my opinion. Once the sutures absorbed, scar tissue will have formed by that time to stabilize the structures and sutures are no longer necessary.

I've used both absorbable and permanent sutures without any issues. It really comes down to surgeon's preference. Hope this helps.Kind regards,Gary Horndeski M.D.

  I use sutures that are broken down over a period of months to avoid these potential issues with permanent sutures.  Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

 In our practice, we stopped using permanent sutures  in the nose many years ago due to stitch abscesses that were forming, months later. We currently use absorbable sutures in the tip of the  nose when holding cartilage grafts in place

The main risks of permanent sutures in the nose are stitch abscess, visible suture knot or extrusion of the sutures. All of these are very low risk. I prefer a longer lasting temporary suture such as PDS which provides months of suture fixation of the cartilages but is eventually totally reabsorbed eliminating the risk of suture issues over the long term.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

I use non-permanent sutures, because I believe the scar that forms is strong enough to hold the tissues in place after things have healed well.Good LuckStephen M. Davis, MD, FACSGreen Hills Plastic Surgery

Thanks for the question. Different surgeons have their preferences for permanent versus dissolvable sutures, and there are arguments either way. Some believe that permanent sutures lead to more stability of the cartilage grafts. A counter argument is that permanent sutures can extrude or get infected and after several months there's enough scar tissue to hold the grafts in place without sutures.I started out using permanent sutures, but for the last couple of years I've been using sutures that slowly dissolve over a period of months. I never had a problem either way. I am unaware of any definitive studies in the scientific literature that answer the question.

In some cases permanent sutures may become infected or erode through the nasal tissues over time.  This is the reason most surgeons use long lasting resorbable sutures which hold the tissues until they are healed then dissolve away.  Donald R. Nunn MD  Atlanta Plastic Surgeon