Exercise For The Nose: Can It Reshape Your Nose Without Surgery?

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Can You Reshape Your Nose with Exercise?

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Daniel Yetman on August 7, 2020

What the science says
Nonsurgical remedies
Surgery
Summary

The most common way people reshape their nose is with a surgery called rhinoplasty, more commonly known as a “nose job.”

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 207,000 rhinoplasty surgeries were performed in the United States in 2019.

Rhinoplasty is typically a cosmetic surgery for people who are unhappy with the appearance of their nose. The surgery is also used to:

repair nose injuries
correct birth defects
improve breathing issues

The surgery can change the size, shape, or proportions of your nose.

Recently, many websites have been promoting nose exercises as an effective alternative to surgery. Although they claim these exercises can help shape and sharpen your nose, there’s no evidence that these exercises are effective.

Let’s examine what science says about nose exercises. We’ll also look at other nonsurgical and surgical options for nose reshaping.

Do nose exercises work?

There’s no scientific evidence that nose exercises or “nose yoga” can reshape your nose.

An example of a nose exercise that’s being promoted on many websites is pinching your nose while flaring your nostrils.

The shape of the base of your nose, where it attaches to your face, is determined primarily by the shape of your bone. The tip of your nose is primarily shaped by the soft cartilage that gives it its flexibility.

There’s no evidence that nose exercises can noticeably influence the shape of either of these tissues.

Nose exercises work the small muscles around your nose that you use to make facial expressions. These muscles don’t play a significant role in your nose shape.

Can you make your nose smaller with toothpaste?

Some websites have been circulating a rumor that applying toothpaste can make your nose smaller.

Again, the shape of your nose is primarily determined by the shape of your bone and cartilage. Toothpaste won’t affect the size of either of these tissues.

There’s also no evidence that other home remedies that include ingredients like apple cider vinegar, ginger, or garlic will have any effect on the size or shape of your nose, either.

How to reshape your nose naturally

The following two methods may help you change the appearance of your nose without surgery.

Contouring and makeup

Makeup won’t change the size of your nose, but it can help change the appearance. There are many tutorials online that explain different strategies for nose contouring.

Here are the basic steps of contouring your nose:

Outline either side of your nose using a bronzer that’s two shades darker than your skin.
Highlight the bridge of your nose using a matte highlighter.
Manipulate the shadows and highlights using a beauty blender.

In the following video, makeup artist Wayne Goss shows how to use makeup to contour different types of noses.

Dermal fillers

A nonsurgical rhinoplasty is a procedure in which a dermal filler is injected beneath your skin to change the shape of your nose. The procedure also goes by the nicknames “liquid nose job” or “15-minute nose job.”

During the procedure, a doctor will inject a gel-like dermal filler beneath your skin. They may use a filler with hyaluronic acid (like Juvederm) or calcium hydroxylapatite (like Radiesse), among others.

The procedure can take less than 15 minutes, and many people return to work the day after the procedure.

The results of a nonsurgical rhinoplasty aren’t as dramatic as those of a traditional procedure, but this method can help smooth bumps and make your nose look thinner or straighter.

Nonsurgical rhinoplasty offers several advantages over traditional nose surgery:

There’s no anesthesia or splints.
It has a quick recovery time.
You won’t have swelling or bruising.
It’s much cheaper.

The procedure isn’t permanent, but results can last up to about 6 months.

Surgical remedies

The following surgical options can help reshape your nose.

Rhinoplasty

The most common cosmetic surgery for changing the shape of your nose is rhinoplasty. This surgery can:

reshape your nostrils
straighten your nose
reshape your nose

There are several variations of the rhinoplasty procedure, but the two major categories are open rhinoplasty and closed rhinoplasty.

Open rhinoplasty

Open rhinoplasty is usually performed for major reshaping. During this type of surgery, a surgeon makes an incision on the piece of skin between your nostrils to access the inside of your nose.

This surgery has the potential to leave a noticeable scar. However, most people who undergo this surgery report their scar being invisible or barely visible.

Closed rhinoplasty

Closed rhinoplasty is usually used for minor procedures. Incisions are made inside your nose to avoid scarring.

Septoplasty

A septoplasty is a surgery that straightens the bone and cartilage between your nostrils. This part of your nose is called your septum. When your septum is crooked, it’s referred to as a deviated septum.

A deviated septum commonly causes symptoms like:

nasal blockage
headaches
facial pain
trouble smelling
nasal discharge
snoring

Takeaway

Nose exercises are a popular internet fad. It’s very unlikely that they’ll have any effect on the shape of your nose.

The shape of your nose is primarily determined by your bone and cartilage and can’t be changed without surgery.

If you’re unhappy with your nose, the cheapest and easiest option is to use makeup to contour it.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Bertossi D, et al. (2019). Nonsurgical rhinoplasty: Nasal grid analysis and nasal injecting protocol. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000005224
Bugten V, et al. (2016). Quality of life and symptoms before and after nasal septoplasty compared with healthy individuals. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12901-016-0031-7
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020).https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/rhinoplasty/about/pac-20384532
Plastic surgery 2019 statistics report. (2020).https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/News/Statistics/2019/plastic-surgery-statistics-full-report-2019.pdf
Raggio BS, et al. (2020). Open rhinoplasty.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546628/
Rhinoplasty. (n.d.).https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/rhinoplasty/procedure

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Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — Written by Daniel Yetman on August 7, 2020

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