“Does rhinoplasty leave a scar?”

The vast majority of rhinoplasties are performed intranasally without any external scarring. Scars that would form would be internal and rarely pose any kind of problem. There are certain techniques that require external incisions such as open rhinoplasty technique or alar base resection.

The answer depends on whether your rhinoplasty is done with an "open" or "closed" approach. The major advantage of open rhinoplasty is that it gives the surgeon full view of your nasal anatomy under the skin, including all of the nasal cartilages and septum (the wall dividing your nostrils). The small downside is a scar that is along the strip of skin connecting your nose to your upper lip, called the columella. When the skin incision is done well and sutured together precisely, the scar is generally imperceptible to the casual observer, unless you look up and someone else looks directly at your columella. Most surgeons make an incision that looks like a stairstep or an inverted-V to make the scarring imperceptible. Closed rhinoplasty involves no visible scars, as the incisions are made near the inside of your nostril rim or along the sidewall of mucosal (soft) tissue covering your septum. There are a variety of approaches in closed rhinoplasty, which overall is more challenging and requires more experience with the surgeon, as much of the closed techniques are "blind" and require more feel of the tissues and knowledge of the underlying anatomy in "your mind's eye". Bottom line is that both open and closed rhinoplasty techniques are perfectly acceptable, and I would say that the surgeon should use the techniques that he or she is most comfortable with, as rhinoplasty is a challenging type of surgery no matter which way you cut it, pun intended! Nirav B. Patel, MD, JD, FACS, FCLM Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Plastic, Reconstructive, Aesthetic, & Oculoplastic Surgery Patel Plastic Surgery, LLC 1519 Johnson Ferry Road Suite 250 East Cobb, GA 30062 Office 470-395-6932 Fax 470-395-6951 https://www.drpatelplasticsurgery.com/

Hi. If the surgeon closes the incision meticulously, the scar will be imperceptible. I always spend an extensive amount of time on the closure of the incision because patients care a lot about it.

Anytime an incision is made there will be a scar. A closed rhinoplasty involves incisions only in the nostrils so the scar isn’t visible on the skin. An open rhinoplasty involves a small scar across the columella which is the skin between the nostrils. This is often extremely minimal and barely noticeable. Sometimes it may be necessary to make incisions/scars around the outside of the nostrils where the nose meets the cheeks.