This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
POSTOPERATIVE results following a rhinoplasty procedure have improved greatly during the past 20 years. Consequently, operations which in the past were often hazardous and associated with variable results are now successfully managed by somewhat standardized procedures. These standardized procedures vary with different surgeons, but all satisfactory techniques are similar in principle and not difficult to understand.
The modern rhinoplasty techniques are all based on the fortunate facts that the supporting framework of the nose can be altered through incisions made inside the nasal cavities, where scars are not visible, and that the covering nasal skin will contract or stretch to conform with the changed shape of the nasal framework. This inherent quality of the skin to stretch or contract is due to elastic fibers in the dermis, but there are limits to the elasticity which may not safely be ignored. Thus, the insertion of too bulky a rib graft may