Does your nose get thinner as you age?

Question

My nose is a bit wide,but when I smile it gets very wide! I am 16,Caucasian,and I'm considering to do a nose job in future to slim my nose. But I'd like to know if there is any chance of my nose getting a bit thinner as I age(until I reach the age of 20 etc),since I've heard stories from people who used to have a wide or a bulbous nose,and then,with the aging,their noses got more thinner. Thanks!

Theda C. Kontis, MD · Answer

I have definitely seen the skin of the nose thin with aging. Over time, subtle irregularities in the cartilage can become more prominent with thinning of the skin. In addition, aging face studies have shown that the bone under the upper lip thins and causes the nose to lose support. This loss of support causes the tip to droop and the nose and upper lip "look longer." These skin and bony changes occur over decades, not in the 4-5 years you are questioning.

Thomas Romo, III, MD · Answer

First, the shape of the nose is the shape of the architecture. For the external nose, the upper third is bone and the lower 2/3 rd's is cartilage. At your age there are no aging characteristics so it's all congenital, familial.The columella, structure between the nostrils cannot hold the tip of the nose up as we age. So the tip of the nose falls as we age and becomes rounder and bulbous.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

The nose will not get thinner in the next 4 years.Find a board certified plastic surgeon who performs hundreds  
of rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty revisions each year.  Then look at the 
 plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a   
sense of who can deliver the results. 	Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Over a life time, I would say that the tissue thins but the nose can still grow ( cartilage) over a life time as well.  The general width of the nose will not change significantly without surgery.

Jeffrey Ditesheim, MD, FACS · Answer

Great question:  the nose is probably the only area that gets thinner as you age.  Now most of us think of aging as 50+, but in your case you are asking about 16 to 20!  The short answer is that the shape of the nose will change with growth of the facial skeleton.  If you are finished growing then the nose should remain the same "thinness" at age 20.

Does your nose get thinner as you age?

Answers (5)

Answer: Nasal tissue

Answer: Nasal tissue

Answer: Nose getting thinner with age?

Answer: Nose getting thinner with age?

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Does your nose get thinner as you age?

Answers (5)

Answer: Nasal tissue

Answer: Nasal tissue

Answer: Nose getting thinner with age?

Answer: Nose getting thinner with age?

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Rhinoplasty

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.