Are Nose and Ears Continue to Grow
Does the Nose Continue to Grow?
October 16, 2020 - Rhys Branman, MD 
The Truth about Rhinoplasty at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center
Does the nose continue to grow as we age? Is it related to lying? Will a nose job hide a lie? Is it possible to appear more honest if you have a rhinoplasty? Wrinkling the nose, as well as sniffing, is a body language sign of slight disgust. Touching the nose is a tell for lying. When a person lies, the nasal tissue can actually swell and redden very slightly because the capillaries dilate. Histamine reactions may then cause the person to touch the growing nose. The nose may well tell a lie!
Yes people lie, and yes, their noses get longer as they age. It is called the Pinocchio syndrome. As we age, we find ourselves forced to lie more. In our society lying is expected, after all. You wouldn't tell your girlfriend that the brand new designer dress she is so proud of really does look awful on her, and yes, it does make her butt look fat, anymore than you tell your boss how annoying his micro managing is, even if he asked you. You and I both know it's true. Also, as we get older our noses get longer. Oh they don't get long enough to go diving without a snorkel, but they do lengthen. There have been many controversial claims about just why this is so, but we all know the nose gets longer as we age, and we are expected to lie. This is the Cumulative Lying Theory of Elderly Nose Growth or CLTENG for short.
Some people say the two have nothing to do with each other, that the two events do have a correlation, but not a causal relationship. These people say that it is in fact the cartilage that keeps growing. The constantly growing cartilage theory states that although bones stop growing, the cartilage keeps growing at the end of the bone, the growth plate. Some say the cartilage grows until you die, however, how could this be true? As you age your body tries to conserve energy, growth hormone is no longer produced in large quantities; the very hormones that create growth slow as we age. So yes, maybe that cartilage is capable of continuing to grow, but not without those hormones. But the proponents of the Cartilage Theory of Nose Growth (also known as the CTNG theory) point to sharks. Rather than bones, sharks have cartilage, and sharks continue to grow throughout their lifetimes. If it's true for sharks, must be true for us! By this theory, one would need a rhinoplasty or nose job once a decade. Um, no.
Others say gravity is the culprit. Over time the 5 cartilaginous structures that support the fleshy tissue of the nose begin to stretch causing the nose to droop. Just like any other tissue in the body, gravity will tug at the nose, and just as the underlying supporting SMAS (Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System) of the face causes fat and skin to sag downward as it weakens with age, so the bulbous tip of the nose sags downward. As the ligaments holding the cartilage get weaker the tip of the nose widens too. This looks a little more legitimate, right? And it is. This is why our noses appear to grow. This theory is a fact, however, it has no name, so perhaps that's why the other two theories are more attractive to most people. Although I much prefer the cumulative lying theory, I have to go with science. By 16 or 17 the nose is considered fully grown in girls, but in boys, it takes a little longer, until the 17 or 18. However because this growth is predictable a bit earlier (13 – 14 in girls and 15 -16 in boys), rhinoplasty is feasible at those ages.
So will rhinoplasty, the infamous nose job, make you appear more honest as you age? I'm not sure about that, but it will give you that cute perky nose that is a sign of youth, or at least your old nose back, but a little better. At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, Arkansas rhinoplasty patients can count on competent, quality assessment and surgical techniques by a board certified cosmetic surgeon.
Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation with Dr. Branman at 501-227-0707
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