Rhinoplasty using cartilage or soft silicone?

Personally,
I feel that the best way to achieve permanent results in the safest manner is
by undergoing Asian rhinoplasty with autologous grafts - tissue from your own
body. Grafts from your own tissue will have a much lower rate of
complications than synthetic implants such as silicone, Gore-tex or Medpor.

Many of our Asian patients request augmentation of the nasal bridge and tip. In general i find cartilage to be strong enough to augment the nasal tip but not thick enough to augment the bridge. For the bridge I recommend a pre formed Gortex implant. These are soft, very smooth and have a very low extrusion or infection rate. Have a computer imaging session with your surgeon and to see what is possible Good luck!

Thank you for your question!  Most Asian patients who are seeking for a rhinoplasty desire to have their nose bridge augmented, and their nasal tip refined and slightly turned down.  In most Asian countries and practices in the US with high Asian demographics, silicone/ gortex implants are still commonly used for nasal augmentation and the nasal tip refined with ear cartilage.  This is because implants are ready made off-the-shelf, and so the procedures are typically quicker, more straight forward and there is no/ less donor sites.  Also, some patients desire very high nasal bridge commonly seen in K-pop stars and a nasal implant can better mimic that appearance.  However, there is definitely a higher risk of infection and complications compared to using your own autologous tissues (rib/ ear cartilage etc).  In my practice, I perform both techniques but I do prefer using autologous tissues when the patient is the right candidate for the procedure.  The results are usually more natural and there's a lower risk of complications/ need for revisions. Make sure you find a board certified plastic surgeon who is experienced in Asian rhinoplasty for your surgery.  Hope that helps. 

Cartllage or silicone for Asian rhinoplasty? I have used cartilage only in the nose for more than 35 years without one infection. Even years later silicone can get infected. Therefore I prefer using cartilage and fascia in the nose depending upon how much elevation of the bridge is needed. 

Your own cartilage is the graft of choice for augmentation of your nasal bridge and uplift if your nasal tip. Silicone implants can cause delayed infection and extrusion over time. Your own cartilage is a more natural solution. All the best, 

 Without a set of pictures it His impossible to give an opinion about what may be needed.  It's also important to determine from the patient how much augmentation that they desire along the bridge line. While  the patient's own cartilage is the best alternative, sometimes it's not thick enough to give a significant amount of augmentation.  The thickness of the skin along the dorsum is also a determining factor.When a significant amount of augmentation is required, a nasal dorsal implant made of Silastic can be an alternative. It is best to discuss the pros and cons with  Your operative surgeon.

Cartilage or fascia for the bride is usually better than silicon for the bridge and NEVER use silicon for the tip.  L-shaped silicon implants often start to show with age.For the bridge silicon implants can be fine if you have thick skin otherwise as you age the implant can be a bit visible at the edges.  Silicon can get infected but cartilage rarely has issues with infection.Overall cartilage is best for all aspects of asian rhinoplasty most of the time.Chase Lay, MD

For many years I've recommended the use of diced cartilage wrapped in fascia to augment the bridge and cartilage grafts to support and define the tip in Asian noses. I want to avoid the increased risks of infection, movement, and extrusion seen with silicone implants. In California where we have a very large Asian population I've removed many of these implants done by other surgeons.