What is soft tissue onlay in rhinoplasty?

Hi and thank you for your question.  Board certified facial plastic surgeons will use a technique called soft tissue on-lay during rhinoplasty to fill indentations or provide a smooth final contour line once the patient has fully healed.  The soft tissue used can consist of perichondrium (tissue which covers cartilage), fat or fascia (tissue which covers muscle) depending on your doctor’s specific preferences and your specific needs.  Your local, board-certified facial plastic surgeon can advise whether soft tissue on-lay, cartilage grafting or a combination of both techniques will best achieve the results you desire.  I hope this information helps.  Good luck with your procedure!
- Jacqueline T. Cheng, MD

This is when a tissue graft is used to place under the nose skin to raise a depressed area.  The tissue graft can come from the patient, or from a cadaver donor.  You should speak with your own surgeon about their preferences and their rationale for the choice.

Soft tissue is sometimes used to cover the bridge or tip of the nose in patients with thin skin. Temporalis fascia or alloderm are most commonly used for this purpose. This provides a thin soft tissue cover in order to help give a smooth appearance to the bridge of the nose.