The nose is one of the most prominent facial features and plays an important role in the overall balance and harmony of the face. If you are unhappy with the way your nose looks, rhinoplasty may be a good option for you. Rhinoplasty is designed to improve the size, shape or features of your nose, thereby enhancing your facial beauty. Rhinoplasty can also correct structural abnormalities that make it difficult to breathe through your nose.
Many patients are concerned when they learn that they may need cartilage transplants to achieve the nose of their dreams. Some worry that the grafts will become visible and affect their aesthetic results, while others feel that the cartilage graft procedure is too invasive. However, the graft is often used in rhinoplasty to strengthen the nose, improve functionality and restore the definition of the nose.
The graft is usually taken from other cartilage in the nose (septal cartilage), conchal cartilage (ears) or rib cartilage.
Rhinoplasty surgery requiring a graft
The use of grafts depends primarily on the problems addressed during your rhinoplasty. While cartilage grafts can be used in initial rhinoplasty, they are more commonly used in revision procedures where the structure is already enlarged and weakened. Some of the most common reasons for using cartilage grafts are as below:
Grafts are often used to support the structure of the nose, especially in patients with weak, sagging cartilage at the tip of the nose.
Grafts are needed to straighten or widen the airway to prevent breathing problems due to collapse of the nasal valve. Sometimes the cartilage that supports the sidewalls of the nose is not in the right place and may need to be repositioned.
The use of grafts is necessary to reinforce the structural integrity of the nose after the removal of bumps in the nose. This helps to maintain an ideal aesthetic result as well as proper nasal function.
If a patient is undergoing revision surgery, it is often necessary to use grafts to achieve a more natural and aesthetically pleasing contour by strengthening and reconstructing the nose. For example, correction of alar retraction requires cartilage to provide additional support to the nostril margins.
Although cartilage transplantation may sound invasive or intensive, very small incisions are used where the scar is easily concealed, such as the inside of the nose (septal cartilage), behind the ear (ear cartilage) or cartilage under the chest (rib cartilage).