Fomon Nasal Knife — Rhinoplasty Skin-Hook Knife

Fomon Nasal Knife — Rhinoplasty Skin-Hook Knife

Samuel Fomon’s nasal knife (companion to his rasp covered in ENT batch 10) is the precision blade he designed for the intercartilaginous incision of the closed-approach rhinoplasty — the cut between the upper-lateral cartilage and the lower-lateral cartilage that gives access to the dorsum for hump reduction without an external skin scar. The Fomon knife blade is shorter and finer than the Joseph knife, sized for the constrained vestibular working space and for the slightly different cut angle the American technique uses.

The intercartilaginous incision

The cut runs from the medial crus of the lower-lateral cartilage upward and laterally along the seam between upper and lower lateral cartilages, exiting at the dome of the alar cartilage. Once made, the cut allows the soft-tissue envelope to be lifted off the cartilaginous and bony dorsum for direct-vision work. The Fomon’s geometry is calibrated for this specific incision angle.

Why a separate knife from the Joseph

The Joseph osteotomy knives are sized for the bony dorsum work; the Fomon is sized for the soft-tissue access step that precedes it. The two knives belong in the same rhinoplasty tray and the operator switches between them at the appropriate steps.