Do Rhinoplasty scars stay pink and reddish forever?

In the first few weeks the incisions should be a bit red, but not anything very noticeable. Whether the incisions are on the sides of the ala, or in the middle from an open approach it is normal to see redness for weeks to months. This gradually fades and becomes the same color as the surrounding skin. If the incisions are well placed the scar should be minimal. If not well placed, there may be some shadows noticeable.

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Thank you for your question.  Alar base reduction scars go through the full maturation process that other scars do, but the skin in this area can be a little finicky especially in thicker skin and oilier skin patients.  The pink/redness usually lasts 3-6 months and then fades out as the scar matures.  After about a year, a well executed alar base reduction scar should be difficult to see.