Cartilage Rhinoplasty
The Cartilage Rhinoplasty is one of the most effective treatments for the correction of deviated nasal septum, hypertrophic and thinning. Achieving best results with cartilage rhinoplasty requires the diagnosis by a qualified specialist in plastic surgery, who will perform 3D imaging scans to create a 3D computer model of your nose.
Cartilage is present in the nose as well known as rib cartilage. The purpose of cartilage is to help protect the bone behind it and increase its rigidity. Unfortunately, this part of your nose has become weak and subject to deformity. In this guide, we review the aspects of Cartilage Rhinoplasty, rib cartilage rhinoplasty side effect, gore tex vs cartilage rhinoplasty, and silicone vs cartilage rhinoplasty.
Cartilage Rhinoplasty
In the past few years, rhinoplasty has become a popular procedure among patients who wish to correct minor imperfections in their noses or enhance their appearance. Cartilage grafting is one of the most common techniques used in this type of surgery because it’s safe and results in minimal recovery time compared to other procedures like septoplasty or turbinate reduction. In this article, we’ll discuss what cartilage rhinoplasty is and how it works along with its benefits and risks so that you can decide if it’s right for you!
The nose is the center of your face, and a well-crafted nose can bring harmony to your facial features. Unfortunately, this is not true for everyone. While some noses are underprojected and appear too small, others are overprojected and protrude too far from the face. A cartilage rhinoplasty may be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Cartilage rhinoplasty is a minor procedure that can be done under local anesthesia. It is used to correct minor imperfections in the nose or to improve or enhance the appearance of the nose. The goal of cartilage rhinoplasty is not only to change the shape of your nose, but also to restore its contour and symmetry.
This procedure does not involve cutting away tissue; instead it involves removing pieces of cartilage from areas where they are too thick so that your surgeon can reshape those areas into their proper form (elevation).
What Is Cartilage Rhinoplasty?
Cartilage rhinoplasty is a minor enhancement to the nose that uses tissue from the ear to augment or reshape the nose upon request. It is used mostly in patients who wish to correct minor imperfections in their noses and helps them achieve realistic results without having to undergo more invasive procedures.
Cartilage transplants can be performed using either autologous or allogenic cartilage grafts (cadaveric). The former is taken from your own body, while the latter involves using tissue from someone else’s ear that has been decellularized (cleaned of cells).
A cartilage rhinoplasty is a minor enhancement to the nose that uses tissue from the ear to augment or reshape the nose upon request. It is used mostly in patients who wish to correct minor imperfections in their noses or want to improve or enhance their appearance rather than make major reconstructive changes.
A cartilage rhinoplasty is a minor enhancement to the nose that uses tissue from the ear to augment or reshape the nose upon request. It is used mostly in patients who wish to correct minor imperfections in their noses or want to improve or enhance their appearance rather than make major reconstructive changes.
Cartilage grafting is a common technique that helps reduce nasal asymmetry and improve contour without removing any bone or cartilage from your face. The procedure involves harvesting an incision through your skin, cutting away any excess tissue and then using some type of graft material (usually harvested from other parts of your body) as filler material for sculpting out a new shape for your nose.
How Does It Work?
Cartilage grafts are harvested from the ear, and then placed in a hidden spot on the nose to camouflage it. The result is a smoother, more natural-looking nose that blends seamlessly into your skin.
Cartilage grafts can be placed anywhere on your body where you want them to be visible–for example: on top of a crooked tooth or under an eyebrow scar–so long as there’s enough room for them to grow into place properly (and so long as they don’t interfere with any nerves).
Cartilage grafting involves harvesting a small graft of cartilage from behind the ear, which then becomes invisible after healing. This graft of cartilage is then used to augment existing nasal structures that need more height or projection like the tip, bridge, or side walls of your nose. It also can be used to refine nasal asymmetry by placing it on one side of your nose and camouflaging it with camouflage techniques through the skin so that it enhances natural structures instead of looking like a “bulge” or “lump.”
Cartilage grafting involves harvesting a small graft of cartilage from behind the ear, which then becomes invisible after healing. This graft of cartilage is then used to augment existing nasal structures that need more height or projection like the tip, bridge and side walls of your nose. It also can be used to refine nasal asymmetry by placing it on one side of your nose and camouflaging it with camouflage techniques through the skin so that it enhances natural structures instead of looking like a “bulge” or “lump.”
Cartilage is relatively easy to harvest from behind the ear because it has no blood supply and therefore doesn’t need time for healing before being transplanted into another region where there will be new blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood through microscopic vessels called capillaries into the cartilage cells themselves which provide nutrients needed for survival in addition to releasing waste products out into surrounding tissues where they’re eventually absorbed by lymph nodes located along lymphatic channels draining fluid back into circulatory systems.
Benefits of Cartilage Rhinoplasty
- Reduces the appearance of a bulbous nose
- Improves the appearance of a crooked nose
- Improves the appearance of a small nose
- Improves the appearance of a big nose
- Improves the appearance of a long nose
rib cartilage rhinoplasty side effect
Revision rhinoplasty is a very complicated procedure demanding an intense understanding and appreciation for the correction of the undesired nasal deformity. What makes revision rhinoplasty very complicated is the fact that, as a surgeon, one never knows what lies underneath the skin and soft tissue of the nose. The normal anatomy of the nose—cartilages and bones—have been altered by the initial surgery.
Nose cartilage components
The nose is essentially composed of two pairs of cartilages, those pertaining to the middle portion of the nose, the upper lateral cartilages, and those which make up the tip, the lower lateral cartilage. Additionally, the septum of the nose and the nasal bones provide the foundation of structure and support. The septum is composed of both cartilages towards the front of the nose and bone in the deeper aspects. Most, if not all, of these components are altered in some way during a rhinoplasty. The degree and the manner of their alteration are not known by the revision rhinoplasty surgeon beforehand.
Cartilage grafts
Cartilage grafts whether taken from the septum, ear, or rib are used to provide shape to the nose. Cartilage grafts also provide the added benefit of supporting the structure of the nose. Septal cartilage is the ‘ideal’ cartilage to use for these purposes—it is a strong, thin cartilage. Oftentimes, however, septal cartilage is missing or has been removed during the previous rhinoplasty. In order to revise a rhinoplasty, grafting material is nearly always needed to correct the underlying deformities.
Given the missing septal cartilage, the only available cartilage grafting material left available to the surgeon is either from the ear or the rib. Ear cartilage is a great option for revision rhinoplasty when used in specific locations and for certain problems. I opt to use ear cartilage when I encounter the need for grafting material in certain locations within the nose and for specific purposes.
Rib cartilage grafting
For the purposes of this article on rib cartilage grafting, I will defer these indications for ear cartilage and its benefits permitting me to write more extensively on rib cartilage itself. It may come as a surprise to most that our ribs are composed of cartilage as they approach the middle of our chest or the sternum. It surprises most patients because of the strength of our rib cages.
Harvesting of rib cartilage
Harvesting of rib cartilage does not necessarily weaken our strong rib cages. I aim to remove rib cartilage from the 6th and, at times, the 7th rib. The 6th rib lies approximately directly below the breast crease in women and below the larger chest muscles in men, allowing for a camouflaging of the incision within this crease.
Harvesting of rib cartilage from the 6th rib is different than where some other surgeons choose to harvest as some harvest from ribs lower in the rib cage. An additional benefit of removing cartilage from the 6th rib is that the 6th rib is not a ‘free-floating’ rib—it has firm bony attachments to the surrounding rib cage and the sternum (chest plate bone at the center of our chests).
Removing a small piece of rib cartilage from the center of this firmly attached rib provides the benefit of reducing discomfort after surgery.
Cartilage grafting discomfort
Discomfort is minimized by limiting removal of the rib to this site specifically while keeping the surrounding tissue intact. In this same manner, risk is minimized to the surrounding chest and underlying lungs through this preservation of the tissues underlying and surrounding the rib.
Given a great deal of attention that plays into the harvesting (removal) of the rib cartilage, it is actually what to do next with the rib cartilage which is most intimidating to revision rhinoplasty surgeons. The difficulty in using a rib (and the reason why most surgeons do not perform rib graft revision rhinoplasty) lies in the ‘when, how, and where to use the rib.
Rib Cartilage grafting risks
The risk of using rib cartilage in the hands of surgeons inexperienced with its use is that rib cartilage has a tendency to warp or change shape. It is not that surgeons with more experience with rib cartilage somehow magically prevent rib from warping or changing shape. On the contrary, it is the use of the rib in the proper locations, with the proper techniques, which greatly reduce the possibility that any changes within the shape of the rib cartilage will create changes in the outward appearance of the nose.
When used properly, rib cartilage provides a great material from one’s own body, without the need to implant synthetic materials, to give a nice aesthetic, long-term outcome to the shape of the revised nose.
gore tex vs cartilage rhinoplasty
A rhinoplasty procedure that aims to raise the bridge of the nose or make the nose “higher” or “stronger” is called an augmentation rhinoplasty as it “augments” or adds material to the nasal bridge. Typically, the plastic surgeon will resort to using the patient’s own cartilage for this purpose and this can be harvested from one of the following three sources:
Though cartilage is the most preferred material used by most surgeons for rhinoplasty, due to unavailability of sufficient extra cartilage in the patient’s own body (could be due to its usage in any previous surgery), surgeons often use synthetic materials like Silicone implants and Gore-Tex implants to help achieve the desired nose shape. Let’s get accustomed to both the materials and its usage before you have a more extensive discussion with your surgeon.
What is a Silicone nasal implant?
A Silicone nasal implant are the most commonly used synthetic material for Rhinoplasty. This material has used over several decades and thus has been tried and tested over the years. Silicone implants are the easiest to insert in shaping the nose and can be taken out easily in case of any problems experienced in later years. A minor incision is required to insert the silicone implant in the case of a closed rhinoplasty. Silicone is good for more pronounced nasal bridge lifting effects.
What is a Gore-Tex nasal implant?
Gore-Tex is a porous synthetic material used for rhinoplasty. It is made up of polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE). It is better in integrating with the underlying tissues which gives a more natural look to the nose. Post the surgery, the tissue growth is more integrated with the Gore-Tex, helping it to be attached to the nasal structure. It gives a more natural looking nose lift than the Silicone implant.
What are the advantages of a Silicone nasal implant?
Silicone Implants are tried and tested over the years and are very popular. Silicone Implants are also cheaper than Gore-Tex and Cartilage in a typical augmentation rhinoplasty procedure. Furthermore, Silicone implants are easy to carve out by the surgeon for achieving the precise shape desired. Thus it can easily be customized to suit the individual patient’s need and to fit the patient’s facial features. Though it comes pre-formed, the plastic surgeons typically trim it as per the patient’s requirement.
The most common shapes of Silicone implants are L-shape and I-shape. The L-shape gives height to the nasal bridge and definition to the nasal tip. I- shape helps in the nasal bridge area only. A Silicone implant is carved and encapsulated by a tissue envelope in the specified area. The advantage of this is it can be removed or replaced easily in case of protrusion, malposition or infection which is not possible in the case of Gore-Tex.
What are the advantages of a Gore-Tex nasal implant?
Since Gore-Tex integrates well with the tissues, it does not usually get displaced over time. Gore-Tex is also capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, unlike Silicone. Gore-Tex gives a more natural look in comparison to the results achieved by Silicone implants.
What are the drawbacks of a Silicone nasal implant?
Silicone Implants are hard materials which can make the nose look unnatural. Over time, it puts pressure on the skin, which results in the implants becoming more visible. However the possibility of the Silicone implants becoming visible is less among the Asians as they have thicker skin. Also Silicone implants are more prone to infections. There is a possibility of implant protrusion if the implants is bigger than the capsule within which it is supposed to fit.
What are the drawbacks of a Gore-Tex nasal implant?
Gore Tex is more expensive than Silicone Implants. In the case of infection, it is nearly impossible to remove the Gore-Tex implant as it integrates well with the nasal tissue. There is also possibility of shrinkage in the case of Gore-Tex. As we age, the soft material of Gore-Tex is prone to changes. A revision rhinoplasty, if required, would inevitably cause damage to the surrounding nasal tissue.
How long does the rhinoplasty procedure using a nasal implant take?
For both Gore-Tex and Silicone implants, it takes 1-2 hours for the rhinoplasty procedure. Local anesthesia is given in the both the cases of Silicone implants and Gore-Tex implants.
silicone vs cartilage rhinoplasty
You can choose from a variety of materials for your nose job (rhinoplasty) – Silicone or Gore Tex. Silicone VS Gore Tex for rhinoplasty – which is the best? Which material is better for which circumstances?
Silicone Advantages
Manufacturers of silicone implants can modify the properties of the product based on the number of molecules used. Silicone is an older technology, so some rhinoplasty specialists might feel more comfortable using it. A silicone nose implant might feel like a super ball; it is firm to the touch. After the procedure, your body will form a layer of tissue around the silicone implant. Silicone does not shrink, its shape remains the same over time. Silicone rhinoplasty surgery might be better for procedures on your nasal tip. A silicone nasal tip is more likely to maintain its shape long-term.
Gore Tex Advantages
Gore Tex is a newer technology. Some patients want a cutting-edge rhinoplasty surgery using the most advanced materials. Gore Tex has a spongy consistency, so your nose might feel softer. Some rhinoplasty surgeons prefer Gore Tex implants because it might have a little tissue ingrowth, which might stabilize the implant. Unfortunately, Gore Tex might have shrinkage issues. This could lead to a loss of volume. It can be particularly noticed at the nasal tip. As a result, some rhinoplasty surgeons don’t like to use Gore Tex for nasal tip contouring.
Silicone VS Gore Tex for Rhinoplasty
Given a choice, a rhinoplasty specialist might prefer to use the patient’s own cartilage, but sometimes this is not possible. Silicone and Gore Tex are both safe and effective in allowing you to improve your nasal shape. Discuss your concerns with our rhinoplasty specialist. We want you to enjoy a successful rhinoplasty in Miami that you are completely satisfied with. Silicone and Gore Tex can be reshaped to the nose contours that patients want. It all depends on the type of rhinoplasty in Miami that you want to undergo. If you want to reshape your nasal tip, then silicone might be preferable because it does not shrink. If you are reshaping the primary part of your nose (i.e. the dorsum), then Gore Tex might be acceptable. You could always go with the silicone coated Gore Tex hybrid too. Contact us to schedule your rhinoplasty surgery consultation. We can discuss which material, you want to use; Silicone VS Gore Tex for rhinoplasty – Enjoy a better life with a brand new nose.