Thick Nose Skin or Excess Cartilage?

The way to tell the difference between thick skin and cartilage on the nasal tip is to perform a physical examination and feel the actual cartilages themselves. Sometimes it is very difficult to tell, but an experienced surgeon will be able to make the differential diagnosis. Performing a rhinoplasty on thick skin can be challenging since it will completely blanket and cover the new cartilaginous framework of the nose making it difficult to determine an excellent result from that.... more

It is impossible to give you insight to determine whether  you have thick skin or excess cartilage, or both. You must have an examination by an experienced, certified rhinoplasty surgeon. 

During your consultation, we can usually tell by examining you what your actually anatomy is-- this is relatively straightforward. Different skin types also tend to have different levels of thickness and quality, but whether or not you have significant cartilages can also be determined at the time of your exam.

In general, individuals of darker skin types usually have thick skin and wide cartilages in the tip of the nose. This is only a generalization. Other individuals may have a variety of thicknesses of skin and cartilage. The best way to determine this is to undergo an examination by a plastic surgeon. Sometimes pinching the skin can reveal just how thick it is. Determining the quality, size and shape of the cartilages takes much more experience and practice.

The relative thickness of the skin of your nose, along with the underlying cartilage can be examined, and properly identified by an experienced, board-certified rhinoplasty specialist. If you'd like to change the appearance of your nose, make sure to see many photos demonstrating favorable results before moving forward. I hope this helps, and best regards.

Hi, Without an examination by a surgeon, it's hard to determine exactly if what you are seeing is thick skin or cartilage in the nose. However, if you have prominent pores on your nose, chances are the skin is thick. Similarly, darker skin, as in African-Americans and Middle Easterners, tends to be thicker on the nose. Caucasian patients are more likely to have prominent cartilage if they see fullness on the tip of the nose. Keep in mind that these are generalizations only and may... more

The distinction of thick skin vs. thick lower lateral (tip) cartilages should not be your major concern. You should focus on picking an experienced plastic surgeon and discuss with him/her what nasal feature you would like to see improved or refined. A rhinoplasty surgeon would readily determine this for you and based on YOUR wishes will use the surgical techniques best suited to shape the nose accordingly. Personally, I like the patient to bring in photographs of noses he/she likes AND... more

There are techniques in rhinoplasty which can address thick skin, or large heavy cartilages in the nasal tip. As a rule in nasal shape the two rarely seem to coexist. Those patients with the thickest skin tend to have the thinnest cartilages, and those with the thickest or heaviest tip cartilage seem to have thinner skin making the cartilages most visible. The approach to nasal shaping in patients with thick skin relies on adding support to the skin to develop tip shape and definition.... more

It might be hard for you to look at your nose and tell why you have the shape that you do but a plastic surgeon with rhinoplasty experience will be able to tell. Most of the time it is a combination of reasons but a lot of the lumps and bulges are due to the cartilage. Depending on your skin type you may need some skin care as well as reshaping of the cartilage. Best Wishes Dr. Peterson

Assuming you have not had nasal surgery in the past, your nose possibly has a combination of both. Feel your ear and you can feel the cartilage, now feel the cheek. You can tell the difference between both now. It will be easy for a rhinoplasty surgeon to tell by examining if you have a combination of both thick skin and excess cartilage or more cartilage than skin. In either case your nose can be improved by surgery. Regards

A trained rhinoplasty specialist will discuss your anatomy as well as what contributes to the overall size and shape of the tip of your nose. He/she can also discuss the best ways to treat both thick skinned noses vs. thick cartilage; they are different.