If you are considering a second nose operation, scarring is a fair worry — you already have one result you were not happy with. The honest answer is that revision rhinoplasty leaves a few small, predictable scars in places that are easy to overlook once they settle, and the most visible of them is a single fine line under the nose that usually becomes hard to see over the months that follow.
A first-time nose operation can sometimes be done entirely through the nostrils, with no external incision — a closed approach. Revision rhinoplasty is different. The surgeon is working inside a nose that has already been operated on, where scar tissue, a previous implant and altered cartilage make the anatomy harder to read. To correct it precisely and safely, the surgeon needs to see the framework directly rather than work blind, so revision rhinoplasty is almost always performed open.
The open approach uses one small incision across the columella — the narrow bridge of skin between your nostrils — which lets the skin be lifted gently off the cartilage and bone. That single external incision is the trade-off for accuracy. It is also why scarring after revision is a slightly different conversation than after a first operation: there is one visible scar to discuss, in a spot most people never look at, plus whatever the donor site adds if grafting is needed.
It is worth knowing why this matters for the result, not just the scar. Working open lets the surgeon rebuild support, reposition cartilage and place grafts under direct vision — the difference between guessing and seeing. Many patients decide the single fine columellar line is a fair exchange for a more reliable correction the second time around.
The external scar from open revision rhinoplasty sits across the columella, on the underside of the nose between the nostrils. It is usually only a few millimetres long and is placed in a zig-zag or stepped pattern rather than a straight line, because a broken line catches the eye far less than a straight one as it heals. Because of where it sits — tucked under the tip, facing downward — it is not in your eye-line or anyone else's during normal conversation.
In the first weeks the line can look pink or slightly raised, and that is expected. Over the months that follow it typically settles into a faint, pale line that most people have to be told is there to find it. Skin type, your individual healing and how the tissue was handled all influence the final appearance, which is one reason an honest surgeon will not promise an invisible scar — no surgeon can guarantee that — but a well-placed, carefully closed columellar incision usually becomes inconspicuous.
All the other work — separating tissue, adjusting the bridge, shaping cartilage — is reached through incisions inside the nostrils. Those internal incisions heal within the lining of the nose and leave nothing visible from the outside, so the columellar line is the only external scar the open approach itself creates.
Revision rhinoplasty often needs new material to rebuild or reinforce the nose, because the original cartilage may have been used, removed or weakened. At Garnet the material is chosen case by case rather than to a fixed recipe — it may be cartilage from the nasal septum or the ear, or, when more structural support is needed, autologous or donor rib, a small graft of dermis from the hip, or temporalis fascia from above the ear. Where that material comes from determines whether there is a second, separate scar, and where it sits.
Ear cartilage is taken through an incision hidden behind or inside the fold of the ear, leaving a scar that is very hard to see. A rib graft is taken through a short incision low on the chest, placed where a bra line or natural fold conceals it. A dermis graft from the hip leaves a small line within the bikini area. Temporalis fascia is reached through a short incision in the hair above the ear, so the scar is covered by hair. Septal cartilage, taken from inside the nose, adds no external scar at all.
Which of these applies to you depends entirely on what your nose needs, and the surgeon will explain it before you decide rather than after. Because Garnet is a single-surgeon clinic, the same surgeon who plans the donor site is the one who takes the graft and later reviews how that scar is healing — there is no hand-off.
Scars do not reach their final look quickly — they go through a long, fairly predictable settling process. For the first week or two the columellar line and any donor-site incision are held by sutures and may look red, firm or slightly lumpy. The nose sutures generally come out around seven days; sutures at a donor site stay in a little longer depending on where they are — roughly ten days for ear, rib or temporalis fascia, and up to about two weeks for a hip dermis graft, because those tissues are under more tension.
Over the following weeks the redness fades and the firmness softens, though a scar can stay slightly pink and feel a little hard for a couple of months before it relaxes. From there it continues to mature quietly for many months, gradually flattening and paling. This is the same slow timeline that governs how the shape of the nose itself settles, which is why scar appearance and final result are best judged together over the long run rather than in the first month.
Garnet builds this into structured follow-ups at one, three and six months, so the same surgeon who operated checks each scar as it matures and can advise on care at the right moments. For international patients those reviews continue remotely after you fly home, with photos shared so the surgeon can keep an eye on healing from a distance.
A scar's final appearance depends partly on how it is treated while it matures, and there are sensible, evidence-aligned habits that help. Keeping the incision clean and following the surgeon's wound-care instructions in the first weeks matters most, because an incision that heals without infection or excess tension generally leaves a finer line. Avoid picking at crusts and resist the urge to test how the scar feels.
Sun protection is the single most useful long-term habit: a fresh scar exposed to ultraviolet light can darken and stay discoloured, so shielding the columella and any donor site from direct sun for several months helps them fade evenly. Not smoking, staying hydrated and giving your body time also support healthy healing, since nicotine in particular narrows the small blood vessels that a healing scar depends on.
If a scar looks like it is thickening or staying red longer than expected, the right move is to raise it at a follow-up rather than self-treating — a surgeon who is reviewing you at one, three and six months can step in early with simple measures. You can ask exactly how scar care will be handled, including after you return home, in an online consultation before you travel.
Garnet is a single-surgeon clinic in Apgujeong, Seoul, where Dr. In-Soo Baek — a board-certified plastic surgeon (Korean medical licence no. 77407) — consults, performs the operation himself and reviews every follow-up. For revision rhinoplasty that continuity matters specifically for scarring: the surgeon who decides where the columellar incision and any donor site will go is the same person who closes them and then watches them heal at one, three and six months.
The clinic caps the day at two surgeries, so each revision case has unhurried time for the careful tissue handling and meticulous closure that give a fine scar the ideal chance to fade well. Material for the rebuild is chosen for your nose specifically rather than from habit, which means donor-site scars are only created when they genuinely add value to your result.
Garnet is registered with Korea's foreign-patient programme and coordinates consultation, scheduling and after-care for international visitors. If you are weighing a revision and want a frank view of what scarring would look like in your case, you can start with a no-obligation online assessment and send photos for an honest pre-assessment before you plan a trip.
Send photos and your question before you travel. An English-speaking coordinator reviews every enquiry and replies with honest guidance on whether surgery is appropriate, the likely plan and timing.
Prefer to chat now? Reach the coordinator directly: