Investigation of nasal mobility in Asians and its change after alloplastic augmentation

Augmentation rhinoplasty is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries in Asia, and both dorsal augmentation and mobile nose modifications are emphasized for the characters of the Asian nose and for Asians who are fond of the Western nasal shape. The goal in rhinoplasty is to create a balanced and natural appearance. Therefore, the cosmetic aspects, postoperative complications, and functional aspects should be regarded as a whole. In fact, the first 2 aspects had been widely reported in a large number of literatures. However, the functional aspects about mobility have been ignored by most surgeons. A sample method was used in this article to investigate the range of mobility of normal nasal tip in Asians and analyze the correlations of the nasal mobility and alloplastic materials. A total of 170 healthy adult subjects aged from 18 to 35 were included and were classified into 3 groups standing for normal nose and rhinoplasty with L-shaped silicon implants with e-PTFE implants. A 3D raster surface scanner was used to capture the images of the subjects accurately and rapidly in this detailed anatomical study. The range of nasal mobility (to right or left) in Asian normal women was 35.53 ± 4.84 degrees, and the length of mobile part was 16.62 ± 1.94  mm, which accounts for 40% ± 5% of nasal length. The L-shaped alloplastic implants would reduce the nasal mobility, and there had been differences among the changes caused by different implants, which might cause unsatisfactory outcomes in patients. Results of the study indicated that augmentation rhinoplasty should be performed as well as augmented mammaplasty which attaches importance not only to the static and dynamic appearance of the nasal tip but also to the feeling when it is touched.