How Can I Tell if I Have Thick or Thin Nasal Skin?

Hi Micby,

Nasal skin can have a great influence in the final outcome of rhinoplasty. Thickness of skin is routinely assessed during pre-operative evaluation.

It is fairly difficult to determine the thickness of your skin without evaluating you in person. An experienced rhinoplasty surgeon can tell you fairly quickly if you have a thick nasal skin. This is done by palpating the tissues, inspecting the quality of skin and presence of glands & pores and by comparing it to the surrounding tissues. 

Hope this helped.

Dr. Sajjadian

Thick nasal skin makes it difficult to see the contours of the underlying bone and cartilage. Sometimes we call this the facets of the nose, similar to the facets of a diamond. It is comparable to the apperance of your knuckles when your hand is outstretched, you will see very little details of the bone. However, when you form a closed fist, the details of your knuckle are quite visible. The same goes for thick skin on the nasal tip or bridge. Thick, oily skin prevents visibility of these structures whereas thin skin make it almost transparent, like a silk sheet.

Hi Micbry,

As you have learned, skin thickness is very important in rhinoplasty. 

The best way to find out if you have thick or thin skin on your nose is to have a consultation with an experienced rhinoplasty surgeon.  

We evaluate skin thickness several times a day, and can quickly tell you if your skin's thickness will have any effect on your expected surgical outcome.

With the right consultation, you may learn even more about your nose than you expect!

Dr. Torkian