Potential Side Effects from Removing Cartilage from the Ear for Revision Rhinoplasty?

ear cartilage grafts for nose revision surgery:


these are usually invisible

scar guard, kelocote , mederma can help

laser may be last resort if needed

softness is common

distortion of ear more unusual

Removal of ear cartilage does not usually change the appearance of the ear. Once the ear is healed, it's unusual for the removal of cartilage to change the shape as long as the cartilage at the outer part of the "bowl" of the ear is preserved. The scar is another issue. This can be visible if placed on the outside of the ear. Because of this, I always remove the cartilage with an incision on the backside of the ear where it's hidden. When this is done, it's very unusual for anyone to detect that cartilage was borrowed from the ear for rhinoplasty of reconstructive surgery.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

Ear cartilage is often used for rhinoplasty grafting purposes.  It usually is taken from the conceal bowl and should not destabilize the ear.