Bulbous nose tip & need ostomy, natural nose, silicone or donor cartilage?

Question

I am given the choice by a clinic to use either silicone or donor cartilage for the nose. The clinic said that donor cartilage will make my nose more natural as compared to silicone but the re-absorption rate is higher.. what does it mean? I am looking for full nose rhino with donor cartilage but am afraid of reabsorption, would silicone be better for me but the tip of my nose is using donor as compared to whole nose donor? Please advise! I have bulbous nose tip and need ostomy.

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

Donor cartilage is not living tissue and has the risk of resorption, which means your nose can look great for years but over time your body can break down and absorb the cartilage thus causing the nose to lose it's shape. Silicone is a terrible thing to place inside your nose as it's temporary, will thin out your skin, will always look unnatural over time. Your own cartilage is the best source to create a nose that is naturally beautiful permanently.

Myung Ju Lee, MD, PhD · Answer

For rhinoplasty, there are many materials that can be used: silicone, goretex, septal/ear/rib cartilage. Asian nose usually have smaller nose structure, and Asian nose rhinoplasty requires to build the nose from the base - structure - bridge - and tip. Sometimes using foreign material extensively in the nose structure may increase the possibility of infections, complications, or contractions. In order to have least possibilities of complications, I recommend using your own cartilage.Septal cartilage inside the nose is good for rhinoplasty, but if the amount of septal cartilage is limited, autologous rib cartilage (your own rib cartilage) is recommended to build the entire structure & the shape.

Jacob Tower, MD · Answer

Hello, hope you are well. Thank you for your question. Generally speaking, most surgeons in the United States prefer to use rib cartilage (homologous/donated or autologous/from oneself) because it has a lower rate of implant infection and extrusion complications. I personally use cartilage grafts for this reason.
Best,Dr. Tower

Jeffrey Lisiecki, MD · Answer

I always recommend fresh frozen donor cartilage (assuming it is fresh frozen cartilage like MTF, not irradiated donor cartilage which is different) over silicone.  Fresh frozen cartilage provides lasting results.  Silicone comes with a number of serious potential complications including infection and extrusion, so I do not recommend it.

Waleed Ezzat, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. As a rule of thumb, I never use silicone in the nose. Over time, silicone can be recognized as foreign by the body.  When this happens, the body will start to reject the silicone implant - requiring revision rhinoplasty.. If you look at the medical literature, complication rates, long-term, are higher for silicone and other implantable material over cartilage. In my practice, I only use cartilage and facia for rhinoplasty on patients with Asian descent. In experienced hands, the rate of resorption is far less than implant failure.

I hope this helps answer your question. Good luck to you.

Best,

Dr. E.

Bulbous nose tip & need ostomy, natural nose, silicone or donor cartilage?

Answers (5)

Answer: Donor cartilage

Answer: Donor cartilage

Answer: Asian rhinoplasty

Answer: Asian rhinoplasty

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Everything you need to know about Asian Rhinoplasty

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Bulbous nose tip & need ostomy, natural nose, silicone or donor cartilage?

Answers (5)

Answer: Donor cartilage

Answer: Donor cartilage

Answer: Asian rhinoplasty

Answer: Asian rhinoplasty

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Asian Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.