How long does Asian rhinoplasty last?

Key takeaways

• Asian rhinoplasty is surgery that reshapes the nose with techniques that add structural integrity, definition and refinement, often using cartilage or tissue in addition to what is already in the nose.
• When Asian rhinoplasty is performed with tissue from your own body (autologous grafts), the result is permanent: the grafts are living tissue that becomes part of the nose.
• If synthetic implants are used, they will eventually need to be removed, because they can thin the skin, become visible or extrude.

Asian rhinoplasty, when performed with tissue from your own body (autologous grafts) is permanent. One of the great benefits of autologous grafts are that they are viable, living tissue from your own body, so there is no risk of rejection or resorption as the tissue will be fully incorporated into your nose. If Asian nose job surgery is performed with synthetic implants, then those implants will have to be removed at some point as they will eventually thin the skin and become visible, or even extrude.

What is an Asian nose job rhinoplasty surgery?

Asian rhinoplasty or Asian nose job, is a specific type of surgery to reshape the nose with techniques providing increased structural integrity to the nose while adding definition and increasing refinement. Asian rhinoplasty techniques often demand the use of cartilage and/or tissue in addition to what is available in the nose to supplement the strength of the nasal framework to reshape the overlying skin. Rib cartilage and diced cartilage fascia (DCF) are common autologous grafts used to reshape the nose in a permanent fashion.

What is Korean nose job surgery?

Koreans tend to have slightly thinner skin than other Asian patients, while still retaining a relative lack of strength of the nasal cartilage (tip cartilage and septal cartilage). This combination presents a distinct set of challenges for the Asian rhinoplasty surgeon to address, as projection and support must be added to the nose in a way that maintains delicate tip and dorsal (nasal bridge) aesthetics while providing a permanent result.

Permanent is not the same as risk-free

Your own tissue brings real advantages, but it comes with its own risks, and a good surgeon will tell you about them. Complications reported with costal (rib) cartilage include warping, infection and displacement, as well as problems at the harvest site such as pneumothorax, pain and chest scars. Many of these can be minimized by following recommended techniques (Won and Jin, 2020).

Infection is a good example of how experience varies. In a retrospective review of 2,630 rhinoplasties in an East Asian population by a single surgeon over 16 years, the infection rate was 3.39% in cases using autologous costal cartilage. Infection was about 19 times more likely after revision than after primary surgery (3.63% versus 0.19%), and women were 3.6 times as likely to develop an infection (Tran and Jang, 2022). A review of 363 consecutive septorhinoplasty patients in a single private practice found an overall infection rate of 3.0%, with 4.0% in primary and 2.1% in revision cases. In that study, patient risk factors alone did not reliably predict who would develop an infection, and knowing a patient’s endogenous nasal flora helps to further reduce infectious complications (Yoo and colleagues, 2015). These are different patient groups treated by different surgeons, so the figures are not directly comparable.

Implants carry their own risks. Alloplastic implants are used much more commonly than autologous tissue in many Asian countries, and the reported complications include infection, extrusion, movement, irregularities, absorption, prolonged swelling, seroma and contracture (Choi, 2020).

Questions to ask about grafts and implants

• Which material do you recommend for my nose, and why?
• What are the risks of that material, including infection, shifting and the chance I might need another operation?
• If I choose an implant, what is the plan if it ever needs to be removed?
• How many revision cases do you treat, and how do you prevent and manage infection?

References

• Won TB, Jin HR. Complications of costal cartilage Asian rhinoplasty and their management. Facial Plastic Surgery. 2020;36(5):528-538. PubMed.
• Choi JY. Complications of alloplast rhinoplasty and their management: a comprehensive review. Facial Plastic Surgery. 2020;36(5):517-527. PubMed.
• Tran KN, Jang YJ. Incidence and predisposing factors of postoperative infection after rhinoplasty: a single surgeon’s 16-year experience with 2630 cases in an East Asian population. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2022;150(1):51e-59e. PubMed.
• Yoo DB, Peng GL, Azizzadeh B, Nassif PS. Microbiology and antibiotic prophylaxis in rhinoplasty: a review of 363 consecutive cases. JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. 2015;17(1):23-27. PubMed.

Written and medically reviewed by Donald B. Yoo, M.D., F.A.C.S., facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.