Rhinoplasty is normally an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. Depending on the way the surgeon accesses the interior of the nose, two types of rhinoplasty are differentiated:

1. Open Rhinoplasty

In case of open rhinoplasty the surgeon starts the procedure by making an incision across the columella which allows the plastic surgeon the least restricted access to the cartilage and bone of the nose but is also more likely to cause scarring. The incision across the columella enables the doctor to lift the skin off the tip of the nose and shape the cartilage very precisely. When healed, the incision leaves a very small and unnoticeable scar on the underside of the nose. Despite this drawback, some surgeons feel that the open nose job procedure is the best option in many cases.

2. Closed Rhinoplasty

In case of closed rhinoplasty the surgeon starts the procedure by making an incision inside the nose. For many patients, the closed rhinoplasty offers all of the traditional nose surgery benefits without the risk of external scarring. Incisions in this operation are made inside the nostril, where they will be completely invisible after healing. While it may not offer much freedom to the surgeon, the closed rhinoplasty surgery still allows plenty of reshaping possibilities. Bone and cartilage can be removed or, in some cases, taken from another part of the patient’s body and added in for better shape or support. In other cases, the surgeon may decide that an artificial implant is the best way to give the patient the nose appearance he/she desires.

So long as the difference between these two types of rhinoplasty comes down to one small cut, the preparation for the nose job procedure is largely the same for both. Moreover, both open and closed rhinoplasty surgeries normally entail general sedation, though some doctors may recommend only local anesthesia. The extra cut does not alter the nose job recovery process much after the open surgery since the skin heals faster than the bone and cartilage underneath.

In the end, the decision between these nose surgeries comes down to a question of whether the surgeon will have enough access without the cut and whether getting that access will be worth the tiny scar it will leave. Consult your surgeon to decide which of these nose surgeries is best for you.

Tags: nose job, Nose surgery, Rhinoplasty

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under Rhinoplasty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.