Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hi Dr Lam, would like to seek your valued advice. I did a nose job about 4 mths back and have gotten an "I" implant on my nose bridge along with ear cartilage works done at my nose tip. Was wondering would it be weird looking if I got the implant removed? Reason why I thought of removing it is because I heard that at some point in life after 10-20 years, we will need remove or change the implant eventually due to wear and tear. Hence, I would hate to go through this eventual hassle. Hence, is it really true that the implant will not be able to stay put indefinately? Also, if i do remove the implant, is it ok to inject fillers in my nose bridge to maintain a bit of height and also inject at the nose tip where I had ear cartiledge works? Many thks!

hi,
here are my responses:
1. although i do not perform silicone implants not all silicone have problems down the road. the I implants are certainly better than the L versions.
2. if you remove the implant, i do not know what size etc. but i would not necessarily imagine that it would look off. obviously, fillers can help if that is the case.
3. the nasal cartilage tip graft is much harder to remove and most likely you will not need to since fillers in the nasal tip do not work as well anyway and cartilage grafts in the Asian nose in the tip tend to hide a lot better than in Caucasians. that is why i really only use tip grafts in Asians, Hispanics, and Africans for the most part.
best,
sml

Hi Dr Lam, wow thks for ur fast reply! Appreciate your sharing inputs, can I know what is your opinion on my thoughts of removing the implant? Currently there are no problems with it but its really just my thoughts on having to dread to go through the procedure of removing it in years to come. I had it done at a very reputable doc whom I think did quite a fine job with it except that I find the nose tip a bit higher than I would have preferred. Is it true that removing of implant does not need to be an open procedure? Will there be much downtime to expect? Also, if I like my nose tip to be a little lower, is it ok to inject filler where i had done ear cartiledge grafts? Thanks!

hi,
personally, i would not remove an implant that you think looks good. there is a good chance that you will be fine but that is up to your choice. yes, typically a silicone implant can be removed without needing to open the nose. yes, you can inject filler over cartilage without a problem but remember that fillers in the tip do not work well in general. watch this video:
http://www.lamfacialplastics.com/galler ... y.flv.html
i assume the ear cartilage is in the tip? if it is in the bridge with the implant then you might need a filler because the ear cartilage shape might show up if they are being camouflaged by the implant. if they are in the tip then you should be fine.
best,
sml