Q. While applying ointment inside my nose, I felt as if the implant had moved. Could this change the shape of my nose?

Hello, this is AB Plastic Surgery.

I wrote this post to answer some of the questions many of you have been curious about.

Q. While applying ointment inside my nose, I felt as if the implant had moved. Could this change the shape of my nose?

A. The area where you apply ointment inside the nose is the surgical incision site, so the part touched by a cotton swab at that time is usually not the implant, but more likely the cartilage used to raise the tip of the nose.

Source: Aesthetic Plastic Surgery volume 43, pages759–767 (2019) Caudal Septal Extension Graft Sutured with Absorbable Material and Not Fixed to the Nasal Spine Region Compared with the Conventional Fixation Method: A Retrospective Study

Depending on the surgical method, when a septal extension graft or a columellar strut graft is performed to raise the nasal tip, the inner part of the nose near the columella may feel hard. Because the tip is raised with cartilage grafting, you may feel the elasticity of the cartilage.

Not only the implant, but also this area can move out of position or be damaged if it is exposed to strong physical force, so you should not intentionally move or twist it.

However, in most cases, the cartilage graft area is attached to multiple fixation points, so it does not move from the amount of force applied by a cotton swab.

If there is no visible change in appearance, there is probably no need to worry too much.

However, surgical methods vary so widely that it is difficult to say uniformly that everything is fine, so if you are concerned, I recommend visiting the hospital where the surgery was performed for a follow-up check.