The Difference Between Open vs. Closed Rhinoplasty and Why It Matters

Open Rhinoplasty

During an open rhinoplasty procedure, our surgeons create an external incision at the base of your nose to expose the entire structure of the nose. The reason for this type of incision is that it gives the surgeon a comprehensive view. Surgeons need a full view of your nose when making complex corrections, so the open procedure method is most ideal. 

What Type of Patients Get Open Rhinoplasty?

Patients who make good candidates for an open nose job have more severe issues, such as:

• Have broken their nose once or several times
• Size or shape of the tip needs altering
• Reconstruction is needed for a crooked nose

Closed Rhinoplasty

Some of our patients have only a little bump on what is called the dorsum of the nose. In those cases, we make an incision inside the nose to take out that area. All incisions are tucked away inside the nose, with no external drama.

A closed rhinoplasty is ideal for tweaks and changes of a simpler nature. This surgery has quicker recovery, and the scarring is essentially nonexistent.

What Type of Patients Benefit From Closed Rhinoplasty?

Closed rhinoplasty is less invasive than open rhinoplasty. This means that closed rhinoplasty is ideal for patients who need only minor fixes.

• Narrow nasal bridge requiring subtle changes
• Slight asymmetries in the nose
• Limited dorsal hump reduction

Both Rhinoplasty Methodologies are Safe and Effective

There are minor differences in outcomes between open and closed nose job procedures. The National Library of Medicine reports: “In studies that looked at the functional aspect in open and closed rhinoplasty, we found the majority of studies found that there was no comparative difference between the type of procedure performed.” 

What You Can Expect After Your Rhinoplasty 

A rhinoplasty operation generally takes around two hours or two and a half hours. You will experience some discomfort for about one or two weeks. Swelling will be present for a couple of weeks also, depending on the type and intricacies of your specific nose job. 

Your nose may stay swollen to some degree after your rhinoplasty for up to a year. Your final rhinoplasty results can be seen in a year when your healing journey is complete. The full healing process is slightly different for each type of nose job. Because an open rhinoplasty is more invasive, your healing time is expected to take the full year. With a closed rhinoplasty, you could see less swelling during the recovery year, but there is not a huge difference between procedures.  

Find Out Which Nose Job is Right for You

Now that you know the differences between these two main nose job procedures, contact us ASAP so we can get started making your nose job dreams come true.