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Originally written August 29, 2019
In a previous blog, we discussed how and why your skin wrinkles as you get older. Yet it's not the only age-related change you may experience in your golden years. Believe it or not, your nose changes shape as you age.
As you get older, every part of your nose grows, including the width of your nostrils and the overall surface area. At the same time, the angle of the tip of your nose decreases due to your nose drooping. Your nose growing is not exclusive to any particular demographic, as men and women of all ethnicities experience this phenomenon.
Not only does the shape change affect the look of the nose, but in some cases it can affect how people breathe.
Your nose, like the rest of your body, is covered in skin. The skin’s firmness and elasticity are maintained primarily with proteins called collagen and elastin. As you age, particularly by the age of 20, your body begins producing less collagen and elastin, decreasing this suppleness. In addition, fat deep in the skin diminishes and results in the skin becoming looser and more saggy. For some people, the glands in their skin may enlarge, which makes the nose both wider and heavier.
If you are unhappy with the size or shape of your nose, especially with the changes brought on by age, you may want to consider rhinoplasty. Also known as a “nose job,” rhinoplasty is a facial plastic surgery procedure designed to reshape and reconstruct the nose. According to CEENTA facial plastic surgeon F.P. Johns Langford, MD, FACS, from our Concord office, "Rhinoplasties can help with both the functional and cosmetic aspects of your changing nose. If your primary concern is breathing, other procedures can be performed on the inside of your nose that can improve your breathing, if not the appearance of your nose."
A changing nose is no cause for alarm, but if you have any problems with your nose, regardless of its size or your age, please make an appointment with a CEENTA doctor.
This blog is for informational purposes only. For specific medical questions, please consult your doctor. Doctor Langford practices in our Concord office. To make an appointment with him or any of CEENTA’s doctors, you may schedule online or through myCEENTAchart.
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