Researchers Seek Ideal Nasal Implant Material

A recent study in Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery examined the use of rib cartilage during rhinoplasty, in what the authors described as an ongoing effort to find the ideal nasal implant.

The authors, surgeons from the University of Texas, described this ideal substance as follows:

• Readily available in large quantities
• Resists infection
• Resists absorption
• Completely integrated into host tissues
• Causes little patient morbidity

Based on their research, one promising substance appears to be rib cartilage taken from human donors. Analysis of long-term rhinoplasty results revealed that patients who used these grafts experienced a low complication rate. Moreover, 94.2 percent of the 357 patients said they were satisfied with the results.

Other common options for surgical rhinoplasty include cartilage from the septum or ear. Non-surgical options such as Radiesse have also been growing in popularity as some patients choose to forego a surgical operation.

Read more about this study at ScienceDaily.com or access the full article through Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.