Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hey Dr Lam

I seen a lot of your videos on you tube and i read a few sections of the asian nose surgery on this website, but can you please show me/us either a video or some pics of nose implants done by gortex, silcone & injections. i understand your mentioned in your video that silcone is hard and kinda unnatural and gortex is soft /more natural looking. I find they silcone is kinda shinny lookingin the nose? --> is this true?

Also, which is more safe, silcone or gortex? will they both last for a lifetime, consider no infection?

Thanks Dr Lam
Have a nice day.

my photos are basically all gore-tex. i don't use silicone anymore. i agree with your assessment with silicone. that is why i don't use it. both can last a lifetime but i think silicone has a much higher risk profile and is not as good a material for the nose.
best,
sml

But then there's always the risk of having an infection later on when the Goretex is already firmly attached to the tissue making it very hard for a doctor to remove the implant without leaving the nose deformed or damaging the tissue...

I truly don't believe in 1 size fits all.. a lot of doctors will say goretex is best and others will say silicone is best... i think it's better when one can say that it depends on what the patient needs.. cuz some truly would look better with an implant if not a lot of height increase is needed.. but with goretex u can gradually build a higher and higher bridge without making it look unnatural.

Actually, gore-tex is extremely easy to remove under light sedation without having to "open the nose".
best,
sml

So u're saying it's possible to remove the goretex after let's say 10 years without having any tissue or some bone come off with it?

HI Dr Lam

i really dont want to be like michaeljackson, what kind of implant does michael jackson use.

Is there a way to make the nose less shinny with silcone implant in the nose? how many years will the silcone become harden inside the nose?

if there is already ear tissue inside the nose, will taking the silcone make the tissue become useless and there need to use the other ear for the tip agian? thanks

in answer to question 1, generally, gore-tex should not cause problems with removal because it is much softer than silicone. however, there are no guarantees in life. plus, some people use huge gore-tex blocks that can have the same effects as silicone. i use only thin sheets for the bridge so that is entirely different.

in answer to the second viewer's responses:
1. no there is no way to make the nose look less shiny with solid silicone implant.
2. it does not harden over time. but like anything on the bridge, the skin can shrink wrap down a bit. that usually occurs in the first 2 to 5 years but can even have a slight effect thereafter. generally, most changes occur in the first year.
3. obviously, it is impossible to answer about ear and silicone usage since i don't know how much ear cartilage and how much silicone are in your tip.
4. michael jackson has had numerous overaggressive surgeries. he is a bad example to point out for any rhinoplasty. he is the result of overdone work and too many surgeries.
best,
sml

Hi Dr lam

So i have a L-shape silcone in my nose, and it was put in in April 2006, so about 2 years. Like you said, u use thin gortex sheet for the tip, so is this mean only the bridge of the nose will have an implant (thin gortex sheet), but the tip of the nose dont have any support / implant.

If i decide to do a revision (remove the silcone & use gortex), does the ear tissue used for the tip become garbage and a new one will be needed from my other ear?

I notice when i try to lift my nose from the bottom up, i cannot anymore because the silcone is too hard, so is gortex very very close to natural nose without surgery.

Dr lam, is there an email address that i can send u a pic and discuss with you about the nose. Thanks

If i decide to do a revision (remove the silcone & use gortex), does the ear tissue used for the tip become garbage and a new one will be needed from my other ear?

AGAIN, I CANNOT TELL YOU THAT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE EAR CARTILAGE IS DOING. PERHAPS I WOULD REMOVE IT. PERHAPS NOT. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH EAR CARTILAGE AND HOW MUCH SILICONE IS IN YOUR TIP. I JUST ANSWERED THAT IN THE LAST POST.

I notice when i try to lift my nose from the bottom up, i cannot anymore because the silcone is too hard, so is gortex very very close to natural nose without surgery.

GENERALLY, YES. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE SCAR TISSUE ALREADY THAT COULD STILL LIMIT MOVEMENT. I ALWAYS SAY THAT I DON'T TREAT FEEL, I TREAT LOOK. I WOULD NOT HAVE A REVISION SIMPLY TO HAVE MORE MOBILITY.

Dr lam, is there an email address that i can send u a pic and discuss with you about the nose. Thanks

SEND A LINK IN A PM IF YOU WOULD LIKE.

Hi Dr. Lam,

Is there a way to know if the surgeon used gore-tex or silicon implant on the bridge of the nose when it is already inside the nose?

Does the gore-text implant (block or sheet) cast a straight line of sheen (shiny on top) like silicone implant?

Thanks!

there is no way of knowing without asking. a large gore-tex implant that is more block like than a sheet can also have the same effect as silicone on the skin. that is why i only use thin sheets to augment the bridge.