The pictures above show the location of the external incision for a rhinoplasty, a dotted line shaped like an inverted “V.” Other incisions are hidden up inside the nose, but when an “external” incision, meaning an incision on the outside skin, is used, the operation is called an “open” rhinoplasty. A “closed” rhinoplasty is when no incision on the outside skin is made. This open rhinoplasty incision is placed across the part of the nose called the “columella.” The columella is the central column of tissue that separates the nostrils. The columella is wider above and below the position of those red arrows. The skin of the columella is very thin, and the incision is short, so the resulting scar is all but invisible after healing. Making the incision in the shape of an inverted “V,” rather than a straight line from the left to the right edge of the columella, also helps make an invisible scar
