Incision and Scar Analysis in Open (External) Rhinoplasty

Open (external) rhinoplasty is becoming increasingly popular. Two of its disadvantages most frequently espoused are the difficulty in making the external incision atraumatically and the resulting scar. To diminish these concerns, different incision lines and methods of exposure have been proposed by various authors. These are reviewed along with our preferred technique. We reviewed 100 consecutive cases of open rhinoplasty, yielding 81 patients who underwent subjective and objective scar analysis. There was 1 subjective failure (1.2%), and 2 minor objective failures (2.5%). Recommendations are made to minimize difficulties in performing the open approach and to maximize scar cosmesis.