What should I do if the prosthesis slips down?

The nose occupies a relatively important position among the facial features. Many people think that their noses have no three-dimensional sense. Many people use rhinoplasty to improve this phenomenon. Rhinoplasty is a common thing now, and plastic surgery technology is very advanced. However, some people find that their noses have declined overall after rhinoplasty. What should we do if the prosthesis declines?

What should I do if my prosthetic rhinoplasty slips down?

When the prosthetic rhinoplasty shows signs of slipping, it is recommended to remove the nasal prosthesis and place a real skin flap at the tip of the prosthesis. Alternatively, a piece of ear cartilage can be taken from behind the ear, sutured together with the prosthetic nose tip and then placed in the nasal cavity. Of course, if certain conditions permit, it is recommended that when re-placing the nasal prosthesis material, it is best to replace it with a new one, because if the old one is taken out and put away, there will be a certain chance of infection, causing redness, swelling and inflammation of the nose.

Reasons for the slippage of prosthetic rhinoplasty

After the prosthetic rhinoplasty surgery is completed, the prosthesis will slide down over time due to the influence of gravity. If a piece of ear cartilage is not taken and placed on the tip of the nose during rhinoplasty, the rhinoplasty will slide down very quickly because the tip of the nose is not protected.

Side effects of prosthetic rhinoplasty

Because the tip of the nose is particularly sharp, when the prosthetic rhinoplasty slides down, the tip of the nose will slowly press against the skin due to the falling situation. However, as time goes by, the tip of the nose will become thinner and thinner due to the lack of protection. And it starts to let light through, and in severe cases, the prosthesis may be exposed. This situation mainly occurred after the early rhinoplasty in the 1990s and the current simple silicone rhinoplasty.

How to prevent prosthetic rhinoplasty from slipping

If you want to prevent your prosthetic rhinoplasty from slipping, it is recommended that you take a piece of ear cartilage directly from behind the ear and then pad it on the tip of your nose. This way, the tip of your nose will not slip significantly due to the cushioning of the ear cartilage. You can also improve the shape of your nose tip while having the prosthetic rhinoplasty. However, for expanded polytetrafluoroethylene rhinoplasty, there is no need to pad the ear cartilage. Because the tip of the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene nose is very round, and the material is very similar to your own soft tissue. Silicone is relatively harder, and the tip of the nose needs to be sharper, so it is necessary to pad the ear cartilage.

Is ear cartilage removal traumatic?

The purpose of harvesting ear cartilage for prosthetic rhinoplasty is to achieve better results after the surgery and to prevent the prosthesis from slipping down. When the doctor removes the ear cartilage, he makes a 1-2 mm linear incision in the middle of the back of the ear, then uses surgical instruments to open the skin, and then uses a scalpel to take a piece of ear cartilage the size of a little finger nail and place it on the tip of the nose. After the removal, the ear area will only lose a little cartilage tissue, which has no effect on the appearance or function of the ear.