Q: In asian rhinoplasty using all natural cartilage, where I am looking to reduce my hump while slightly augmenting the bridge, can the hump be slid up and used as a graft to build the bridge? Wouldn’t this be better than ear cartilage since it is made of the same material as the nose bridge itself? Thanks!
A: One consideration your surgeon must be careful to assess is the height of your radix (bridge between your eyes) in relation to your “hump” or pseudohump. Often in Asian rhinoplasty surgeons will attempt to reduce the hump in a misguided attempt to straighten the profile instead of augmenting and building up the radix.
If a significant amount of cartilage needs to be removed, then it may be possible to use it to augment your bridge using that cartilage, but it is rarely the best graft option. The width, height and length of the graft needs to be precisely tailored to provide a natural, smooth contour – and the amount of cartilage removed from the hump rarely provides this in Asian rhinoplasty.
