By Amerley Ollennu
You may have heard that our ears and noses never stop growing, but while they certainly change with age it’s not down to growth. Something else entirely is making them appear longer, wider and generally bigger than before, but what?“The soft tissue of the nose is made up of five layers – the skin, superficial fat, a fibromusuclar layer, deep fat, and then bone in our upper nose, and cartilage in the lower nose,” explains Etre Vous Expert Dr Emmaline Ashley.
Not only serving to warm the air we breathe before it passes into our lungs, as well as act as a barrier to infection thanks to its internal hairs and the mucus it produces that trap pathogens from entering the lungs, our noses are also vital when it comes to our ability to smell and even taste.
Of course, they play a huge aesthetic function too, as the shape of your nose plays a large role in how symmetrical your face is, and it's facial symmetry that has been found to increase ratings of attractiveness in human faces – namely because faces that are more symmetrical are easier for the brain to recognise.
How your nose ages
Experts believe that almost everyone has some level of asymmetry when it comes to their noses, but in most cases, asymmetry is minor and virtually unnoticeable.However, as we age, “the tip of the nose will begin to widen and droop, as there is loss of structure and support in the underlying tissue. This is due to bone resorption, which is where bone breaks down, leading to a decrease in bone mass and density – decreasing your noses ‘scaffolding’. Nasal cartilage quality decreases too, while soft tissue and skin thicken over time, leading the nose to seem more bulky at the tip,” shares Ashley.
The skin on the nose will age in much the same way as the skin on the rest of the face, making sunscreen and active-packed skincare a must. But when it comes to the other changes described by Dr Ashley, it will take more than hero beauty buys to restore your nose.
In-clinic treatment options
A non-surgical rhinoplasty, aka dermal fillers injected into the nose, can be effective in giving the nose more structural support and reducing its width. Meanwhile, muscle relaxing injections like botulinum toxin or Botox can help lift the naval tip.“Polydioxanone aka PDO threads and poly-L-lactic acid known as PLLA threads are synthetic threads made from polymers that are naturally broken down by the body over time and can also be used to youth-boost the nose.
"Placed horizontally along the nasal bridge for height, and the septum and tip for projection, threads act as scaffolding to help contour and shape the nose. They also stimulate collagen needed to keep skin firm and ward off laxity that leads to drooping," explains Ashley.
Emmaline Ashley, Aesthetic Doctor
I'm Dr Emmaline Ashley, the founder of Ashley Aesthetics. I'm passionate about beauty, wellness and science. I wanted...
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