Do Nasal Implants Cause Bone Resorption?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have had a silicone implant in my nose for 6 years. No major problems yet. Just pressure in the bridge area. Will the bone under the nasal implant resorb?? Was thinking about removing the implant because I don’t want to lose what bone I have in the bridge area. I am half Korean and half Caucasian with a relatively flat bridge without the implant. Thanks.

A: Bone resorption under a silicone nasal implant is very rare…to the point that I have never seen it or have seen it documented in the medical literature. (but that may be because x-rays are rarely taken of the nose to look for it) The likely reason is that of the three elements involved in this equation, an unresorbable silicone implant, hard bone and a thin overlying soft tissue cover, the weakest link is what lies above the implant. Rather than the bone resorbing underneath the implant, the overlying soft tissue thins in response to any pressure caused by the implant. Whether this will actually happens depends significantly on the size/thickness of the nasal implant and its durometer. (measure of its hardness) In conclusion I would not remove the nasal implant because of any fear of bone resorption. Be aware also that your nose will look flatter than before having the nasal implant because the overlying skin has gotten stretched and is now thinner as well.