One of the three main areas to modify in a rhinoplasty is the nasal tip. The nasal tip is a very elegant structure that has a remarkable amount of anatomical detail from its size, shape, and symmetry of both halves to its amount of projection and its relationship to the nostril and nasal base. The open approach to a rhinoplasty, which is now the standard approach to most rhinoplasties today, has made changing the nasal tip much easier and more reliable than ever before.
Part of the modifications of many nasal tips during rhinoplasty involves the use of cartilage grafts. Cartilage grafts in the nasal tip are extremely effective at controlling the amount of nasal projection as well as the defining points of the tip. These cartilage grafts are usually harvested from your own septum, which may be part of the rhinoplastic procedure if you are having internal nasal surgery as well to improve your breathing. If you don’t have enough septum to use as a donor site, then the concha (bowl) of the ear is the next available site. The cartilage grafts are shaped with a scalpel to create the shape of the tip and its amount of projection, and then they are sutured in place. This is usually done as the final part of the rhinoplasty operation.
While cartilage grafts are used on the bridge of the nose as well in some cases (too build up the bridge), their use in the nasal tip is more common. In the nasal tip, the size of the cartilage graft is much smaller and its shaping and positioning more detailed.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana