In childhood, adolescence, and perhaps into early adulthood, the nose is definitely growing. Think of the nose you had as a baby, and what it looked like later as a teenager. Your nose obviously got bigger, as it grew along with the rest of your face and body.
When exactly the nose stops growing is debated among experts. Some researchers report that the nose stops growing around age 12, while other researchers report an older age, around 16 or 17, or even early adulthood.2 Gender and ethnicity may explain these differences.
This all said, once you reach adulthood, the nose stops growing. Therefore, a “larger” nose cannot be attributed to growth, but rather to the deterioration of key structures within the nose.
With aging in adulthood, the nose undergoes many structural or anatomical changes, such as:3
- Thinning of and loss of elasticity of the nasal skin
- Drooping of the nasal tip
- A weakening and excessive softening of the nasal cartilage
- Nasal cartilage ossification, which makes it brittle (some instances)
- Separation of the attachments between the upper and lower cartilage pieces on the sides of the nose
Ultimately, these changes can result in the overall lengthening of the nose.
