Question:
Im 37 and Ive been thinking about getting a nose job for several years. Whats been holding me back is the fact that Ill probably need grafts from other areas of my body to get my nose the way I want it. Is there any way to grow cartilage for a graft, instead of harvesting it?
Answer:
Although we are now growing cartilage in a laboratory environment, there is still no way to grow sufficient cartilage to use to perform rhinoplasty surgery as the procedures using growth factors are still experimental. To put you at ease, I perform a great deal of rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty and use cartilage from the nasal septum, the ear, and in severe cases rib cartilage. My patients do very well following surgery and have very few problems with the harvest site for the cartilage.
Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld
