Serious (not a joke) question: do noses grow bigger with age ?

Question

I have the same nose as my mother. She passed at 91. Her nose was huge and I'm observing older people (seniors) and wondering if this is an issue ?

Philip S. Schoenfeld, MD, FACS · Answer

I am sorry to hear about your grandmother but 91, wow! Your question is one I am asked weekly!  The nose does not technically grow as we age.  All of the cartilage that supports your nose is held together with connective tissue covered by a skin envelope.  As we age, the connective tissue glue that holds our cartilage to cartilage and bone to cartilage in the nose weakens and stretches (loss of elasticity we call it)  along with the skin envelope covering the nose which leads to the nose drooping and even stretching, not technically growing.

Damien Grinsell, MBBS, FRACS (Plast) · Answer

Hi. You wont find a scientific answer to your question but noses to change with age.  I believe it is the skin that changes and if you have thin or normal skin then this gets thinner with age and the nose can look smaller.  However the opposite is also true that the thicker the skin the more the nose grows with age and this is seen more often in males.  The extreme of this is obviously rhinophyma but it can be subtle.  Regards

Jonathan Pontell, MD, FACS · Answer

No, noses don't grow with age.  They simply droop.  Gravity works on noses the same way that it does with jowls and breasts.  All of these parts of our anatomy sag with age-they don't grow.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

The current thinking is that the cartilage of the nose does not grown larger, but the  skin becomes thinner and the nose becomes more droopy with the aging process.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I think that the nose does change shape a bit with age and some cartilage does grow with age over time. It does not grow like Pinocchio!

Serious (not a joke) question: do noses grow bigger with age ?

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Answer: Do noses grow bigger within age?

Answer: Do noses grow bigger within age?

Answer: Noses grow with age

Answer: Noses grow with age

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Serious (not a joke) question: do noses grow bigger with age ?

Answers (8)

Answer: Do noses grow bigger within age?

Answer: Do noses grow bigger within age?

Answer: Noses grow with age

Answer: Noses grow with age

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Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

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