Does Your Nose Seem To Be Growing As You Grow Older?

Posted on October 11, 2017 in Rhinoplasty

Have you ever looked through pictures of yourself when you were younger and then glance in the mirror and wonder if your nose has grown over the years? You continue looking and comparing and you’re certain it’s grown. Could it have gotten bigger? Doesn’t your nose stop growing at a certain age?

Yes! Your nose does stop growing during your teenage years. Even though it stops growing, it will begin changing shape (and this can make it appear larger), as you grow older.

There are several reasons why your nose may be changing.

• The top of your nose is supported by a framework of cartilage, as you age your cartilage becomes weak which will cause the tip of your nose to droop. This drooping is called tip ptosis.
• Your skin on your nose thins as you age. However, the sebaceous part of your skin increases. This increase makes your skin heavy and more vascular. These factors, combined with gravity: the thief of so much of our youthful ‘perkiness,’ will cause your nasal tip to droop.
• The bone that reinforces the nose from underneath, the maxilla, starts to reabsorb and shrink. This deficit in support will contribute to nasal tip droop as well.
• Your nose can also appear longer when your nose begins to fall. If you have an existing nasal hump, it may appear larger or even cause a small hump to appear if you tip falls.

If you feel like your nose is changing as you age, book your appointment with Dr. Evan Ransom. He will determine the cause of your changes and offer treatments such as Tip Only Rhinoplasty if you’re suffering from a nasal droop. Call and book your appointment today so you can regain the nose of your youth!

Posted on behalf of Dr. Evan Ransom

Dr. Ransom

Dr. Evan Ransom is an Ivy League-educated and Ivy League trained Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He is a Double Board Certified Head and Neck Surgeon and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and fellowship-trained in facial plastic, reconstructive, and laser surgery. His practice is in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving patients from San Francisco, Oakland, Marin County, Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, Walnut Creek, the East Bay, and all over Northern California.