Graft in Tip is Showing Through Skin? Is It an Implant? 6 Months Post Op Rhinoplasty

It's probably a graft made out of cartilage. It's a little early for it to show to the extent that you don't like it. If it is red at all you should see your surgeon promptly.

It isn't uncommon to place cartilage grafts during rhinoplasty. There can be issues in patients with thin tip skin, though, so this may be what you're seeing. The fluctuating visibility may be due to changes in the overlying skin edema. This can change with activity level, salt intake, etc.

You can ask your surgeon to check it out to see what he thinks.

Without any photos it is hard to render any opinion regarding the area of concern. I would recommend you simply talk with your surgeon to clarify exactly what was done during your surgery. Implants in the tip region are fraught with problems in my opinion. Grafting is a much more common technique for tip reshaping. Both can feel somewhat hard at 6 months postoperatively so that is not a reliable method to differentiate the two. The fact that you can see the area more readily in bright light indicates you may have thinner than average skin since it transilluminates easily. I have seen this type of problem in patients who have had silicone nasal implants placed elsewhere. Hopefully this is not the case with you as the combination of a tip implant and thin skin can lead to problems. Again, touch base with your rhinoplasty surgeon to get the definitive answer. Good luck.