Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

I'm just doing a little research here and there and found out that you don't even need silicone because now many are starting to use their own rib cartilage for the nose implant,

are rib grafts better than silicone and any other implants? And what are the risks involved with the rib graft?

ALso I've heard about rib warping... is there any way to prevent this from happening? And it probably won't be considered the surgeons fault if it does warp, most likely you'll have to pay for another revision right?

Thanks

In general, I prefer to use Gore-Tex for the bridge and nose cartilage for the tip over rib cartilage for several reasons:
1. rib cartilage feels very stiff and unnatural when it is performed all the way down the nose to the tip.
2. gore-tex is easy to remove if necessary.
3. ribs can warp over time. warping can be reduced by the way you cut the cartilage but there is still a risk.

How do I use rib then?
I use rib in very select cases:
1. Someone that has a very retracted nasal tip and needs an extension but has no more usable cartilage left inside the nose (septum), as ear cartilage usually is not strong enough.
2. In general, someone that needs structure back to the tip of the nose like collapse of the external valve, etc. with no more septum left to use.

Now, I know a lot of people like rib for the bridge. I personally do not. That is not to say someone else is right and I am wrong or vice versa. Just my thoughts based on the above comments. Revision rates vary per surgeon.