Does touching your nose make it bigger over time?

Hello and thanks for your question.Trauma or pulling and stretching ligaments and supporting tissue can affect it, but the most important factor is genetics. The underlying structures of cartilages and bone as well as skin can affect the shape. After nasal surgery you should limit touching your nose. Cleaning the nose or scratching it lightly would be ok.Best wishes,Dr Sajjadian

There have not been any studies of this that I know of so no one can say for sure. A nasal fracture can cause a bump on the nose. Also, the tip of the nose is connected to the septum by ligamentous tissue that can weaken over time. It is possible that constant pulling on the tip might weaken this tissue further.

The human tissues do "adapt" its shape to changes in force however this cannot be applicable to the nasal framework. The nasal bones and too strong to be changed by forced while the cartilages are flexible and have a memory. Pushing on your nose does not change the shape of it permanently. The only thing that does is a surgical rhinoplasty procedure.
Hope this helps,Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

Normal activities such as touching, rubbing or mild bumping of your nose are not going to effect the nose permanently in terms of growth of the nose or change the shape of your nose. In addition picking your nose within reason is also relatively safe, however may lead to discomfort or bleeding if excessive. There are rare medical conditions where your nose can grow, however these conditions cannot be influenced by everyday activities.

Normal manipulation of the nose doesn’t have an impact upon either its size or shape. This only occurs with significant trauma. Throughout life the nose is constantly exposed to mechanical forces, despite this its appearance doesn’t change. For this reason, changes in the size and shape of the nose usually always require some type of surgical intervention. 

Hello,
Everyday minor picking, stretching, and itching does not affect your nose. Genetics and intense trauma and contact can alter the shape of your nose. Also the nose and ears are the only body parts that don't stop growing due to the cartilage inside of each. 
All the best!
Deepak Dugar, MDScarless Rhinoplasty ExpertBeverly Hills, CA 90210

The effects of gravity on the face do not spare the nose, and many people experience a longer nasal appearance with aging, Gravity persistently pulls the tip of your nose down, along with many other facial soft tissues. Manual downward force on the tip of your nose may stretch the ligaments from your bridge to your tip leading to a bigger appearance.Hope this helps.Dr Joseph

Lightly touching your nose to clean or scratch it will not cause changes in appearance. There may only be an issue if the nose is touched aggressively and pain results. The nasal appearance can also be changed by trauma to the nose. I hope this information helps, and I wish you the best of luck. 

If you were to constantly touch or pick your nose, day and day out, its shape could certainly be affected. However, how it would be affected is unpredictable. The skin may thicken to lead to a more prominent appearance, your nostrils may stretch out, wrinkles may form in the skin, or other change can occur. Please note, though, that you would really need to do something that would be aggressive enough that it would essentially traumatize the nose.

Dear Kevied123,If you put enough pressure to cause pain in the nose, then there might be a change in itIn general, just touching the nose does not really change its shapeBest,Nima Shemirani