Question:
I have consulted with three s and 2 said they would do my surgery closed while one said he would do it open. This is my primary and I was wondering how do I know if I need a open or closed surgery???? I dont know what to think and how to decide.
How bad is the ring from an open surgery?
Are there any other primarys who had an open surgery? I have heard opens are reserved for revisions, is this true?
Anyone have an open and the scar never fade?
Does the healing and scarring have to do with type?
I am a caucasion female with fair thick skin.
Please share any experienses with this!!!Thanks so much!
-Pavr
Answer:
Hi Pavr,
I had an open surgery. I had one tell me that he might do mine closed, but for me that was a pretty big sign that he didn't really know how to tackle my . I think that the type of procedure you need is mainly determined by what you are having done to your nose, and what kind of nose you have to begin with.
I had a large hump removed, thinning on the bridge, a droopy tip lifted and upturned, and a septoplasty. Due to the complexity of my nose & the mass amounts of cartilege I had to begin with, closed was not really an option for me. The ring for an open surgery is minimal, it's a barely noticible scar across your columella. If excess scar tissue remains after your surgery you can have a quick second procedure done to remove it, but usually this is not necessary.
I have never heard of open procedures being reserved for revisions. I am 5 months post op and my scarring is almost completley gone.
I am not too sure if type has any bearing on what kind of surgery you need. I have very thin skin, which combined with the complexity of my surgery, made my chance of needing a revision higher, since any imperfections would show through more than if I had thick skin. Thankfully, I had a phenomenal surgeon and I couldn't be happier with my results. Thick skin generally "masks" these imperfections, but makes it difficult to see the results intially because, from what I have read/heard, there is more swelling with thick skin.
It really depends on how complex your surgery is, I think.
Luck to you,
Magan
Answer:
Alot of it is surgeon's preference. Some surgeons use both techniques depending on the situation while others favor one or the other.
ring in general does depend somewhat on your own history with scarrring, tone, surgeon's technique etc etc. With time virtually all scars fade.
I had alot of work done on my via a "closed" (endonasal) technique. My ps prefers this method. So far, I'm happy and I'm 3 months post op.
As for revisions, if it's minor changes needed, a closed technique can be used but if the primary surgery results were really suboptimal then an open technique may be more beneficial.