The difference between open rhinoplasty and closed rhinoplasty is one small incision.
Closed rhinoplasty, also called endonasal, works entirely through incisions hidden inside the nostrils. Open rhinoplasty adds a short incision across the columella, the strip of skin between the nostrils, so the skin can be lifted for a direct view of the cartilage.
Neither is better in general, only better suited to a given nose. Closed technique suits dorsal hump reduction and modest changes, with slightly less swelling and no external scar.
Open technique gives the precision needed for tip refinement, significant asymmetry, cartilage grafting, ethnic and Asian rhinoplasty, and most revision rhinoplasty cases. The columellar scar typically fades to near invisible within a year.
Long term results depend far more on your surgeon’s judgment and structural technique than on which approach appears on your operative report.
