Rhinoplasty, or cosmetic nose surgery is well known to be the most difficult cosmetic surgery performed by plastic surgeons. In order for the physician to perform rhinoplasty, or cosmetic nose surgery, a high degree of skill is required along with judgment and artistic ability. Young plastic surgeons finishing their training usually have difficulty in getting enough experience to perform cosmetic nose surgery in their training, and this is one of the main reasons that the open rhinoplasty technique have become popular. The open rhinoplasty technique, which involves making an incision along the base of the nose and lifting the skin off the bony and cartilaginous structures of the nose, allow better visualization of the structures of the nose and allow for better teaching of young residents in training to perform cosmetic nose surgery. There are drawbacks to the open rhinoplasty procedure, in that it does produce more scarring and requires extra cartilage support in order to reverse some of the disruption of the normal delicate attachments of the skin to the subcutaneous structures of the nose.

Plastic surgeons who ultimately become familiar and comfortable with doing closed rhinoplasty, that being making small incisions in the nose and performing reshaping of the nose through these small incisions, have found this to be a much more desirable procedure. The patients heal much faster, there is significantly less swelling, and the end result can often be more predictable. In order to do rhinoplasty surgery, which, as mentioned above, is already a difficult and a very skillful procedure; it takes years and years of experience and training. When performed properly, rhinoplasty can be very fulfilling and can help change a persons life by reshaping an undesirable nose that often takes away from certain beautiful facial features that many people have, such as their eyes or lips. Cosmetic nose surgery, when performed properly and with the proper aesthetic balance and natural appearance, can very much enhance a persons total facial aesthetics.

In Summary, closed rhinoplasty procedures are desirable, in that faster healing with less disruption of the delicate nasal structures occurs. Open rhinoplasty can be performed by many plastic surgeons with success but do cause more inherent trauma to the nose. Open rhinoplasty operations are able to be learned more readily by young plastic surgeons and, therefore, that procedure has increased in popularity. The closed rhinoplasty technique are often a much better choice, especially for people having their noses done cosmetically for the first time; however, it is difficult to find a skilled plastic surgeon with enough experience to perform this procedure adequately.