Question:
I heard that sometimes it’s necessary to take cartilage from the ear to reconstruct the nose during a nose job. I don’t want my ears operated on. In what instance would that be necessary? Does it happen often?
Answer:
In revision rhinoplasty and less frequently during primary rhinoplasty it may be necessary to take cartilage from the ear in order to appropriately reconstruct defects of the nasal tip or nasal bridge. I use ear cartilage in rhinoplasty in two situations. The first is when I am looking to improve the contour of the nostril as the natural curve of ear cartilage creates a very nice appearing nostril contour. The more common time that I will use auricular cartilage is in revision rhinoplasty when the cartilage from the nasal septum was used during primary rhinoplasty. I always counsel my patients about the potential for the need to use ear cartilage prior to surgery so there are no surprises.
Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld