Rib cartilage rhinoplasty leaves more than one scar, and it is fair to want a clear picture before you decide. Because the cartilage is harvested from the chest, there is a donor-site scar in addition to the usual nasal healing of an open rhinoplasty. This page sets out honestly where each scar sits, how visible it is, and how both heal — from suture removal through the months of maturing that follow.
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Most nose operations leave one area of healing. Rib cartilage rhinoplasty leaves two, and it is honest to say so up front. The first is the nasal scar, because rib cases are performed as an open rhinoplasty — a small incision across the columella (the strip of skin between the nostrils) so the surgeon can place and fix the structural grafts precisely. The second is the chest donor-site scar, where a segment of costal cartilage is harvested to build those grafts.
That second scar is the trade-off for the structural strength rib provides. Rib is chosen when a nose needs strong, abundant material — a revision, a depleted nose, or a build that septal or ear cartilage cannot support. The donor scar is the cost of access to that material, which is why it matters to understand it clearly before deciding. If you are weighing whether you need rib at all, the rib versus ear cartilage comparison sets out the alternative, where the donor scar is behind the ear instead.
The good news is that both scars are planned to be discreet, and both fade considerably as they mature. The sections below cover each one specifically — where it sits, how visible it is, and how it heals — so you can make the decision with a realistic picture rather than a vague worry.
The donor scar sits on the chest, where a section of rib cartilage is taken. It is generally a single line, placed in a discreet location and kept as short as the harvest allows. In the early weeks it is a firmer, pinker line; over the following months it typically softens and fades to a paler, flatter mark. As with any scar it does not disappear entirely, and exactly how it settles depends partly on your own skin and healing tendency.
Honesty matters here: some people scar more readily than others, and a scar on the torso behaves differently from a facial scar. If you have a history of raised or thickened scars, tell the surgeon at consultation, because it affects both the placement plan and the aftercare advice. The donor-site sutures are typically removed around ten days after surgery, a little later than the nasal sutures, which is part of why an international stay is planned around the chest site — see rib cartilage rhinoplasty for international patients.
In the first days the donor site is sore, particularly with coughing, laughing or twisting, more so than it is visible. That discomfort settles over the early weeks and is managed during your stay; the pain and anaesthesia page explains how the donor site is handled. The scar itself is the longer-term consideration, and it is one that fades steadily with time and care.
Because rib cases are open rhinoplasties, there is a small incision across the columella, the narrow strip of skin between the nostrils, along with incisions inside the nose that leave no external mark. The columellar scar is tiny and, once healed and matured, is usually inconspicuous in normal face-to-face conversation — it sits on the underside of the nose rather than on a prominent surface. Nasal sutures are typically removed around seven days after surgery.
In the first weeks the columellar line can look pink or slightly raised, which is normal as it heals; it softens and pales over the following months as the scar matures. The nose as a whole stays swollen well beyond suture removal, and a rib nose in particular refines over many months, so the early appearance is not the final one. For how that broader settling unfolds, the recovery timeline walks through it stage by stage.
It is worth keeping the two scars in proportion to each other. For most patients the columellar scar becomes the less noticeable of the two over time, simply because of where it sits and how small it is, while the chest donor scar is the one people most often ask about beforehand. Both are part of the trade-off rib involves, and both are planned to settle discreetly.
Scar healing happens in overlapping phases. In the first week or two the incisions are closed and the sutures are still in or just removed — the nose around seven days, the chest around ten. The lines look their freshest and pinkest at this stage. Over the following weeks the scars begin to flatten and the redness starts to fade, although they remain immature and can still look more obvious than they eventually will.
From roughly six weeks through several months the scars enter the longer remodelling phase, gradually softening, flattening and paling toward their final appearance. This is slow and not linear — a scar can look slightly worse before it looks better — and full maturation of a scar generally takes many months. Patience is part of the process, and judging a scar too early gives a misleadingly harsh impression of where it will end up.
Two timelines run in parallel: the visible scars maturing, and the deeper structural healing of the rib grafts in the nose as swelling resolves and the shape settles. They are related but separate, and both reward time. The surgeon reviews both at structured follow-ups, which is where any concern about how a scar is settling is best raised.
You cannot fully control how you scar, but aftercare genuinely helps. Following the surgeon's wound-care instructions, keeping the sites clean, and not putting tension on the healing incisions in the early weeks all support a tidier result. Avoiding heavy lifting and vigorous activity early protects the chest donor site in particular, since strain across the torso pulls on that scar while it is fresh.
Sun protection matters more than people expect: a fresh scar exposed to sun can darken and stay discoloured, so keeping both the chest and the nose protected once healed is worth the effort. Where appropriate the surgeon may advise scar-care measures such as silicone-based products during the maturing phase; follow the specific guidance you are given rather than a generic routine, because it is tailored to how your scars are settling.
If you live abroad, this is exactly the kind of thing a remote follow-up is for — you can send photographs of how a scar is maturing and get advice on whether it is on track or whether a measure would help. Garnet reviews scarring as part of structured follow-ups at 1, 3 and 6 months, including by messenger after you return home.
Garnet is a single-surgeon clinic in Apgujeong, Seoul. Dr. In-Soo Baek is a board-certified plastic surgeon (Korean medical licence no. 77407) and the only operating doctor — he consults, performs the surgery himself and reviews every follow-up. The same surgeon who plans where the chest harvest and columellar incision sit is the one who reviews how both scars settle, with structured follow-ups at 1, 3 and 6 months.
At consultation the surgeon discusses scar placement honestly, including any personal tendency to scar, and explains realistically how the donor and nasal scars are expected to look and fade — not a promise that they will be invisible, but a clear picture so there are no surprises. The clinic caps the day at two surgeries, which keeps the surgical and after-care attention unhurried.
Garnet is registered with Korea's foreign-patient programme, so for visitors from abroad the scar follow-up continues remotely by messenger once you return home. You can begin with a no-obligation online pre-assessment — send photographs and any previous nose-surgery details, and the surgeon can talk you through the scarring rib involves before you decide whether it is right for you.
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: