Closed Rhinoplasty And Open Rhinoplasty

After years of suffering in silence about the size of your nose and then debating over whether you should consider Rhinoplasty, you have finally made the decision to undergo the procedure. Your surgeon has explained how the procedure works and has been very patient with all your questions. However, you are still a little confused over the terms closed Rhinoplasty and open Rhinoplasty and wonder which one of them is better for you.

As your surgeon may explain to you, a closed Rhinoplasty (or endonasal Rhinoplasty) is a procedure in which all the cuts are made inside the nostrils. This allows the surgeon to lift the skin off the bone and cartilage lying underneath. There are however no cuts on the skin. This in turn means less scarring, less swelling and usually faster healing.

In an open Rhinoplasty (or external Rhinoplasty) a small cut is placed across the columella (this is the fleshy part that separates your two nostrils) so that the surgeon can open even the tip of the nose. Thus, the entire lower structure and inner nose can be seen clearly by the surgeon. As there is more trauma to the nose in this procedure, there is generally more scarring and swelling and it may take a little longer for the nose to heal.

Surgeons have varying opinions of which procedure is better. There are some who feel that there is no need to make any cuts on the outside of a nose especially if the patient is in for the first time and only a primary Rhinoplasty is being performed. They strongly believe that an external Rhinoplasty or open Rhinoplasty needs be performed only if the patient is in to correct any defects from previous procedures or if the nasal structure needs significant altering.

There are other, equally vociferous supporters of open Rhinoplasty who believe that this gives the surgeon the best look at the entire nasal structure. They can see the underlying bone and cartilage in a natural position allowing them to gauge exactly what they need to do and thereby allowing more accuracy in their procedures. This is particularly important in complex procedures like in say ethnic Rhinoplasty, where the procedure is difficult and the results have to be accurate.

It is difficult to state conclusively which procedure is better. This depends a great deal on the kind of procedure you are going in for – the complexity or the difficulty of it. It also depends a great deal on the kind of skills and experience the surgeon has in these various procedures. There are many who follow the open Rhinoplasty procedure for first-timers, repeat patients as well as for complex cases and achieve excellent results. There are other surgeons who may decide on which procedure to go in for only after a detailed discussion with you and after they understand what your needs are.

Instead of trying to choose between the two procedures, try and see the kind of qualifications, skills and experience your surgeon has in Rhinoplasty procedures. Choose a surgeon based on his merits and not on which procedure he plans to follow.