Why Do Some African Americans Have Sharp Noses?

Hello africannose,

Thanks for your question.  I was trained in rhinoplasty at MEETH in NYC, a city with a large number of all ethnic groups.  Your question was pondered alot.  What I was taught is that African-American nose could be thought of in three basic varieties: 1) subSaharan-African, 2) European-African, and 3) Native American-African.  The subSaharan-African nose tends to be broader and flatter at the tip and bridge.  There is a similarity to East Asian noses.  It is more difficult to make a defined, sharp nose without aggressive cartilage grafting, defatting techniques, and use of artificial implants.  The European-African nose tends to look more like a nose of someone of European descent but just transplanted onto the face of someone who is African-American.  These noses tend to be smaller, often with more angular features, and a mild hump on the dorsum.  One thought is that it comes from the mixing of different ethnicities.  Improving this type of nose requires smaller adjustments to blend in the features while maintaining the angularity.  Finally, the Native American-African nose tends to be almost hooked appearing with a fairly pronounced bony hump.  Again the thought is that it comes from the mixing of different ethnicities.  Hump reduction and exact bony work are the focus in this type of nose.

I'm not really sure if any of the above is really the case, but it makes sense.  When I am improving an African American nose, I try to take in multiple factors to decide how to make the improvements happen.  It is important to know where you are starting from and what you are working with.  Realistic expectations are key in successful rhinoplasty.

Good luck,

Dr. Shah

If your father was born with a thin, sharp nose, then the sharpness is genetic and based on bony, cartilaginous, membranous and skin factors.  In general, most Africans and African Americans do not have thin skin though the thickness varies from one person to another.  As a Ethnic rhinoplasty surgeon, I see a great variation in the bony and cartilaginous infrastructure as well as membranous and skin thicknesses.  However, these structures can be altered to make them look thinner, narrower, more refined, and more contoured.  The sharpness achieved from these changes depends on the original attributes of the patient.  In short, it can be done for any person but the amount of result a patient gets depends on what they started with. 

Noses come in all different sizes and shapes. While there are some general charactieristics of different ethnic groups, inter marriage and diversity has resulted in a big melting pot of appearance. There is no reason to try to pigeon hole different ethnic groups into categories. I prefer to look at each patient as an individual with their own specific concerns about their anatomy. It is important as a surgeon to be experienced in all the different techniques in order to understand what steps are need to effect specific changes. Likewise it is important to understand the limitations a patient may have which could affect potential results.  

The characteristics of an African American nose will vary from individual to individual. There are exceptions to the rule, as we may also encounter caucasian patients with thick nasal skin. When rhinoplasty surgeons make that statement, it is to bring to attention that a patient who genetically has thicker skin may not be able to achieve the level of definition they desire. It is unrealistic to give a patient with thick nasal skin a nose that is small and pointy. Every patient is different, and a thorough in-person assessment will help determine what is right for them. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck.

There is a range of distribution of nasal skin thickness in all ethnicities.  The quality of nasal skin and nasal tip shape will depend largely on the genetics of the parents.  Some African Americans have sharply defined nasal features (Vanessa Williams, Rick Fox) while some Caucasians have very thick nasal skin and amorphous nasal tips (Karl Malden, Gene Hackman).