Effect of Nasal Tip Reshaping on Tip Projection in Primary Rhinoplasty without Cartilage Grafting from a Second Donor Site in an Asian Population

Abstract

Objectives: Many Asian patients with nasal aesthetic surgery desire a sharper, more defined nasal tip. In many cases, their nasal cartilage is not abundant enough, necessitating cartilage transplantation from an extranasal location. We investigated which patients would qualify for a method of reshaping the nasal tip without needing donor cartilage by reshaping the lower cartilage using the transdomal suture technique and local cartilage grafting.

Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing nasal tip surgery. We divided patients into two groups. Group 1 comprised 13 patients with nasal tips with thin skin and soft tissue and relatively abundant cartilage. Group 2 included 31 patients with nasal tips with thicker, firmer skin and soft tissue and a smaller amount of cartilage. No patients had prior nasal surgery, and all patients were followed up for at least 3 months. Patients in both groups underwent the transdomal suture technique and local cartilage grafting. Five patients in Group 2 underwent alar reduction. Preoperative and postoperative lateral view photographs were superimposed and analyzed to measure changes in tip projection.

Results: Patients in Group 1 showed a mean increase in tip projection of 3.9%. Patients in Group 2 demonstrated a mean decrease in tip projection of −1.5% without alar reduction and −5.6% with alar reduction.

Conclusions: If the nasal tip is predominantly cartilaginous, patients may undergo surgery that does not involve donor cartilage from another site with good results. However, most patients, who have a relatively small amount of nasal tip cartilage, are not good candidates for this procedure.