Question:
What are natural vs. artificial implants for rhinoplasty and what are the advantages or disadvantages to each?
Answer:
Natural implants used during rhinoplasty can be cartilage, bone or soft tissue. Advantages of these are that it is your own tissue and will be better accepted by your body. These tissues should not resore and are not likely to extrude. A disadvantage is that sometimes cartilage or other tissues may have to be borrowed from other areas of the body like the ear or rib. This means a separated surgical site and scar although these are usually well hidden and tolerated. Artificial implants are things like silastic and other synthetic materials that can be placed inside the nose for augmentation. Advantages are that it is readily available and prefabricated and doesn’t require a separate surgical site like the ear or rib. Disadvantages are a higher chance of rejection and extrusion by the body.