A common belief suggests the human nose continues to grow throughout an individual’s entire life. People often observe apparent changes in noses over time, fueling this idea. However, scientific understanding reveals a more nuanced reality regarding how the nose changes with age.
The Reality of Nasal Changes
The human nose does not truly “grow” indefinitely after adolescence. Skeletal growth, including the bones forming the upper nose, typically ceases by the late teenage years when growth plates fuse. The nose comprises both bone and cartilage, with the lower part being primarily cartilage. While bony structures stop growing, cartilaginous components can change.
Instead of true growth, the nose undergoes age-related transformations. These changes often become noticeable in a person’s 40s, though some may observe them earlier. The nose’s underlying structure, particularly its cartilages and soft tissues, gradually weakens and loses support over time. This means the nose is not actively enlarging, but rather changing shape and appearance due to aging effects.
Why Noses Appear to Change
The perception of continuous nasal growth stems from natural aging processes that alter its appearance. Gravity is a significant factor, exerting a constant downward pull on the nose’s soft tissues and cartilage. Over decades, this contributes to a subtle but noticeable drooping of the nasal tip. This downward displacement makes the nose appear longer or more prominent.
The skin covering the nose thins and loses elasticity with age. This results from the breakdown of collagen and elastin, proteins vital for skin structure, strength, and flexibility. As collagen declines and elastin degrades, skin becomes less firm and sags. Weakening nasal cartilages, combined with diminishing skin support, can also widen the nasal base and reduce definition. Bone density decreases may also contribute to the nose’s reshaping.
Aging and Other Facial Features
Similar to the nose, ears are also often thought to grow continuously throughout life. Like the nose, ears are primarily cartilage and soft tissue. While their skeletal growth ceases in early adulthood, ears can appear larger or longer with age due to the same factors affecting the nose.
Gravity’s consistent pull on earlobes, coupled with lost skin elasticity and weakening connective tissues, causes them to stretch and sag over time. Ears can increase in length by a small amount annually after age 30. This is not true growth, but a result of tissue degradation and gravitational effects, leading to perceived lengthening. Other facial changes, like volume loss in cheeks or a looser jawline, can further emphasize the apparent prominence of the nose and ears by altering facial proportions.