Is It Theoretically Possible To Stretch Nose Cartilage Permanently LIke People Do With Their Ears?

Thank you for your interesting question. It is NOT possible to stretch the ear cartilage.  The part of the ear that is being stretched is the ear lobe which consists of soft tissue. As plastic surgeons we commonly stretch soft tissues in various parts of the body and that could include the soft tissues of the nose however the cartilage of the nose can not be stretched. 

Well, in a way.  People have long believed that the ears and nose grow as we age.  That's not quite accurate.  The soft tissues of the ears and nose do droop with age making them look larger.  People have reshaped cartilage with pressure devices, etc. without surgery.  This takes tons of time and discomfort.  In the nose, after surgery there are some tape and clip techniques sometimes used to maintain a shape to the nose.

Can you stretch out the cartilage of the nose? No.  You can graft cartilage into the nose.

Hope that was helpful

Chase Lay, MD

Theoretically it is possible to stretch nasal cartilage, by why and for what purpose? It would be a lot easier and less traumatic to harvest cartilage from another part of the body.