Q: Had an Asian rhinoplasty 9 months ago, and had ear cartilage grafts put in the bridge (radix area). After swelling went away, the graft is very visible and you can clearly see and feel the edges. From a distance, it looks like a bump. No fascia was used to wrap the graft, an intact (not crushed/diced) piece approx 4-5 mm long. Do I have to wait up to a year since my surgery to get a revision, or is this something that can be fixed now in a simple procedure? Could the graft resorb on its own?
A: Removing an onlay graft on your bridge can safely be performed at any point after surgery (and especially at 9 months post-op this will not create any increased risk). The ear cartilage graft is unlikely to resorb on its own. The question is whether or not you will be satisfied with the appearance of your bridge and radix without anything to augment that area.
One of the great strengths of the diced cartilage fascia (DCF) technique for radix and dorsal augmentation is that when performed well it creates the smoothest, most natural contour. At 9 months post-op, you could safely undergo a revision to remove the visible cartilage graft and replace it with a DCF graft.
