Use of bone wax to aid harvesting of chondrocutaneous composite grafts.

For reconstruction of nasal defects, chondrocutaneous grafts harvested from ears are commonly used. Bone wax can be molded easily to create a three-dimensional form of the defect to be reconstructed. The mold then can be held against different parts of either ear to choose a site providing the best match of shape and size. The outline of the mold is drawn on the ear, and an appropriate chondrocutaneous graft can be easily harvested.