THE SOFT TRIANGLE TENSION GRAFT.

Introduction: Rhinoplasty surgeons often rely on tip grafting in order to add volume in the infratip, mid-tip or supratip areas. The author has developed a novel tip graft, from the repurposed, pliable cephalic margins of the lower lateral cartilage lateral crura. The main purpose of the soft triangle tension graft (STTG) is to control tip tension of the medial crura, buttress the soft triangles and add a small degree of volume to the tip.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted identifying all patients where the STTG was utilized. Basic demographics, operative reports and complications were recorded.

Results: The STTG was utilized in fifty-eight patients. Fifty-three were female with an average age of 33 years old (range: 22 to 45 years of age) and average follow-up time of 12 months (range: 8 to 24 months). No postoperative complications - including graft malposition, migration, palpability, visibility, infection, alar notching, surgical revisions -were evident on follow up.

Conclusion: The novel STTG focuses on buttressing and controlling tension between the two medial crura and soft triangles rather than simply adding volume to the tip. The soft, pliable nature of the graft enables versatility which can be used even in thin skin patients with a favorable safety profile.