Myth or fact?

Is it true that our ears and nose never stop growing?

If you observe your grandparents and other old people around you, you will immediately realise that in terms of facial features, their nose and ears seems much bigger than yours. Many believe that these two parts of our body in fact never stop growing. Well, this is not entirely true.

While talking to Reader’s Digest, Dr. Ryan Neinstein (plastic surgery practitioner at NYC Surgical Associates and Neinstein Plastic Surgery) explained the unique composition of our noses and ears. Unlike the other parts of our body, they are made of soft tissue enveloped in cartilage. Cartilage is all around our body and acts as the glue. It is far more flexible than your bones. The cartilage does stop growing at some point but the soft tissue surrounding it keeps growing all through our life.

Many also believe that as we age, gravity continues to work on our nose and ears and eventually they start drooping and sagging. However, Dr. Neinstein explained that it is not all about gravity though, because noses and ears grow up as well as down.

Another aspect that makes it seem as if your nose and ears never stop growing is the fact that the other parts of your face start changing as you age. While our skin gets thinner and wrinkly, our lips get smaller and our cheeks lose their volume. The result is that your face begins to look smaller and this further makes our nose and ears stand out.

Well, there is nothing you can do to fight against gravity or aging. So, the sooner you start appreciating how fascinating the human body is, the easier it will become for you to love and cherish the beauty of old age!