LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hi Dr. Lam,

I've had an L silicone nasal implant for about a year now. Fortunately, it looks natural in my particular situation, and I have not had issues.

However, some people say stuff every once in a while that I just cannot ignore. I'm very worried about keeping this implant in and having serious damage done to my skin or cartilage. At the same time, it looks good and I don't want to remove it if chances are that it will be fine.

Could you help me understand the issue of contraction? Does this happen generally in the early stages? I thought (I may be incorrect) that contraction is due to infection or too large of an implant... ? However, I had heard from someone that contraction is inevitable to most patients who have an L silicone implant for an extended period of time... basically, that all L implants cause contraction over a long time. Is contraction a common issue with L silicone, and what are its causes?

Thank you.

if you are talking about skin contraction in which the tip shortens upward, my belief is that condition is quite rare. i don't believe it is inevitable. however, there can be problems with silicone even years down the road. there can also be no problems at all. i have seen patients 25 years after a silicone implant without a problem. i personally do not do silicone implants anymore because of the problems. i can't really advise you to keep it or take it out. however, if you like the result, i see no reason to remove it. you should really consult with your own surgeon.
best,
sml