What can be accomplished with crushed cartilage? (photos)

Question

Hi I am looking to have a revision rhinoplasty soon. I am looking for minor augmentation of the bridge and maybe slight projection - like 1-2 mm. Is it possible to use crushed cartilage along the bridge and put a little over my tip to provide this sublte augmentation?

J. Jason Wendel, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question.Yes, crushed cartilage can provide subtle augmentation for the revision rhinoplasty.

To be sure, see two or more experienced,
board-certified Plastic Surgeons for a complete evaluation to make sure you are
a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have surgery.

I hope this helps.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

Yes, a revision rhinoplasty can accomplish building up the bridge of the nose. In most instances, we prefer a solid piece of cartilage rather than crushed cartilage since whole cartilage has a better take rate than diced or morselized cartilage. It's important to know whether there is any cartilage left inside the nose from previous rhinoplasty. 1-2 mm of augmentation of the nose will only give a very subtle result.

Michael T. Somenek, MD · Answer

Crushed cartilage is certainly a reasonable material to use to augment the nasal dorsum. It frequently is wrapped in a material such as fascia or acellular dermal matrix to camouflage any irregularities in the cartilage and at the same time augment the region that it is being placed. It can also be placed in the nasal tip to add projection, though this may be more unpredictable as to how much can be achieved long term. Seeing that you have already had a rhinoplasty, you may lack any usable septal cartilage.  Alternative sites to obtain cartilage are conchal ear cartilage or in more advanced revision cases, costal rib cartilage. If you are looking for only a small amount of augmentation, ear conchal cartilage should be sufficient. I would recommend visiting a revision rhinoplasty surgeon to perform a thorough assessment.

Tom D. Wang, MD, FACS · Answer

Augmentation of the bridge may be done by a variety of methods, including using crushed cartilage.  Your tip projection may also be increased with some of the same material.  Please keep in mind that sometimes smaller changes may be harder to achieve with surgery than more major alterations.  Best of luck to you.

Sam P. Most, MD · Answer

Dear Noseman123Yes, minor bridge augmentation and slight projection may be achievable.  Determinants of this will include how much septum you have left, your skin thickness, and more.  An examination by an experienced revision rhinoplasty specialist will help determine if this is something that will work for you.Hope this helps,Dr. Most

What can be accomplished with crushed cartilage? (photos)

Answers (5)

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