You might have seen it with your parents or grandparents—the gradual expansion of their nose as they age. Then one day, you glance in the mirror and wonder if your earlobes have always looked like that. Or maybe you snap a selfie with a friend and later question if your nose has always been so prominent.
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| While we’re always our own worst critics, it’s true that your nose and ears can seem to grow or spread out over time. So, what gives? South_agency via Getty Images |
While we're often our own harshest critics, it's true that your nose and ears can appear to grow or spread over time. So, what's the explanation?
Why do your ears and nose seem bigger as you get older?
First, your nose and ears aren't actually growing, according to Dr. Jacob Rinkinen, a board-certified plastic surgeon at Baptist Health Jacksonville. The change in appearance of your nose occurs because, as you age, collagen production decreases.
“Gravity takes its toll over time, and collagen production declines, leading to reduced skin elasticity,” he explained. “The tip of the nose droops more, creating the illusion that it’s getting longer. You may also see more bony prominences as you lose some of the soft tissue or fat around the bone and cartilage.”
So, yes, the tip of your nose can sag slightly, and any bony bumps on the bridge of your nose can become more noticeable.
“With your nose, you have a bony structure, cartilage structure, muscle structure, and skin structure. As you age, your bone starts to resorb, leading to a loss of bony structure. Things start to move with gravity,” said Dr. Muneeb Shah, a dermatologist at Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery in New York City, also known as the TikTok user “DermDoctor.” “As a result, your nose can hang lower due to the loss of structural elements.”
Regarding the ears, only the earlobes change over time. Gravity affects the lobes, and the soft tissue inside loses tone and elasticity as we age, according to Dr. Jeffrey Marcus, chief of the Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine. This is particularly noticeable for those who have worn heavy earrings throughout their lives.
Longer lobes might give the impression of larger ears, but Marcus noted it's just an optical illusion.
“Ears are about 90% of their adult size by the time children are 8 or 9, which is why many kids seem to have big ears as their ears grow faster than the rest of them,” he said. “When you measure a 10-year-old’s ear and compare it to their parents’ ears, they’re often the same size. Ears don’t keep growing throughout life.”
Can you prevent it?
It’s reassuring that our ears don’t actually grow as we age, and avoiding heavy earrings can help prevent excessive stretching. But beyond that, there’s not much you can do to fight gravity. Can you stop your nose from drooping?
Reducing sun exposure can help maintain skin elasticity and collagen production, Rinkinen said. If wrinkles around your nose bother you more than the shape of your nose itself, he suggested considering laser treatments or chemical peels before opting for more invasive procedures.
However, Marcus pointed out that the only effective way to prevent nose drooping is essentially a preventive rhinoplasty.
“If someone has a rhinoplasty in their 20s, it will likely stay well-positioned,” he said. “If done properly with good support, it probably won’t drop.”
You don’t need to "correct" your nose’s appearance unless it’s affecting your breathing, Rinkinen said. But if it makes you self-conscious, you're not alone. Marcus noted that many patients seek cosmetic rhinoplasty after their mid-40s, often influenced by the drooping tip and the longer appearance of their nose.
“Most people looking for cosmetic rhinoplasty after their mid-40s are partially motivated by the drooping tip and its longer appearance,” he said. “It’s one of the most common concerns we treat.”
His best advice for dealing with these inevitable aspects of aging is simpler than rushing to a plastic surgeon.
“Stop taking selfies. They’re terrible,” Marcus said. “The biggest boost for rhinoplasty surgeons from the COVID era was the increase in time people spent looking at themselves on screens, which magnify the nose’s appearance. They make it look bigger than it is.”
And remember, no one is examining your features as closely as you are.
“With ears, they’re the one body part meant not to be noticed,” Marcus said. “No one walks around saying, ‘Hey, you have really nice ears.’”
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