When a doctor goes in to shave a small bump through closed rhinoplasty, where does the excess shaved cartilage go?

The excess cartilage may end up as follows:1) Discarded 2) Used for improvement of other areas of the noseThe nose is irrigated before the procedure is finished. There will be no remaining debris inside the nose following the end of the surgery. I hope this helps, and good luck. 

    If this is the only maneuver to be performed, the cartilage can be discarded.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

With bringing down a bridge bump the excess cartilage and/or bone is often removed either under direct vision or via flushing with saline. You can read more about bridge bump removal at my web reference link below.

If a small bump is removed through a closed rhinoplasty usually the excised cartilage is thrown away.  Usually the extra cartilage is too small to use as a graft elsewhere on the nose.  With large hump reductions, the extra cartilage can be used in other parts of the nose such as the tip to help refine it.  

Shaving a bump can be performed with open or closed rhinoplasty. The hump( Bone and cartilage)  is simply removed through incisions on the inside of the nose. Closed rhinoplasty still makes incisions on the inside of the nose to  access the nasal cartilages. 

The excess cartilage and/or bone that causes the bump is usually removed, no matter which method is used to "shave" the bump.I would suggest you find a
plastic surgeon with extensive nasal surgery experience who is certified by the
American Board of Plastic Surgery and ideally a member of the American Society
for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) or the Canadian Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (CSAPS) that you
trust and are comfortable with. You should discuss your concerns with that
surgeon in person.Robert Singer, MD FACSLa Jolla, California

The cartilage is usually removed sharply with a scalpel while the bone can either be removed with a chisel or shaved with a rasp. In either case, every effort is made to remove the pieces or shavings of bone and cartilage. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Dear gabby6237,The cartilage can be shaved via file )like a small sander) or it can be cut with a scalpel.  Either way the cartilage is removed.  At the completing of the case the surgical area is also washed out to ensure that there are not small pieces of cartilage left behind.All the best,Dr. Remus Repta

Tissue such as cartilage removed during a rhinoplasty can be used to improve contour or structure in other areas of the nose or it is discarded.

Sometimes the surgeon will feel a tip cartilage graft would look good and the cartilage is placed in a new location. Otherwise it is discarded.