Moving Graft After Rhinoplasty

Most grafts become fixed to the bone or surrounding tissue with healing. Some however remain mobile and can be moved between your fingers. Although this worries people, Its not important unless it is cosmetically objectionable. Its best you leave the graft alone and don't continuously check to see if its become fixed.

Movement is not necessarily an indication of infection. In some cases this is not necessarily bad unless it creates a unacceptable  cosmetic appearance.

Hi T,

You should consult with your rhinoplasty surgeon.  Usually once a graft is mobile, it is difficult to make it stable without further surgery.  It will help if you leave it alone and do not touch it.  By not constantly moving it, it may have a chance of stabilizing.  Good luck and be well.

Dr. P

Roughly 20% of first time rhinoplasty patients have  cartilage grafting performed. Indeed this percentage rises to the 90% range with secondary surgery. Graft mobility can be caused by several events including infections. It is more likely to be the result of improper dissection leading to a poor fit of the graft or the use of stacked cartilage. If there is significant scarring and too much is asked of the graft, the graft may become mobile, the graft may extrude or the cartilage may simply dissolve. Regardless,  there is a finite amount of cartilage within the nose available for grafting and this cartilage should be used only when necessary and only by  a surgeon skilled in reconstructive rhinoplasty.

Slight movement of a graft after revision rhinoplasty is rarely a problem, as long as it does not interfer with nasal appearance or function. The graft may ultimately  fix to the surrounding tissue, but usually surgical intervention is necessary. Discuss this with your surgeonn.