When is a nose beautiful?

Fashion continues to dictate what we perceive as aesthetic in our quest for beauty. And it will still be that way in the future. The way we perceive ourselves and the way we are perceived by others affect our everyday lives both directly and indirectly. Beauty itself can be defined in many different ways. We all have different attitudes and viewpoints. 

The universal standards of beauty for every generation and every culture so far are youthfulness and naturalness, symmetry and purity. This also applies to beautiful noses.

Let us consider an example: When you look at famous and attractive people, you will notice that very few of them actually have beautiful noses. Upon closer inspection, you will quickly discover all kinds of irregularities: a hump, a nose that is too large, a bulbous nasal tip or several other asymmetries. 

Why do we still regard these people as beautiful? That' s because the nose is not the only indicator of attractiveness. The other areas of the face and their proportions in relation to the rest of the face are also significant: the eyes, the mouth, the cheekbones, the shape of the face. The attractiveness, however, is also influenced by changeable aspects. Individual attractiveness can be enhanced by make-up, hairstyle and clothing, but also by certain character traits.

The first thing a rhinoplasty surgeon will ask you when you introduce yourself is  what exactly is bothering you about your nose. The professional will try to understand your situation and use his/her experience to clarify whether the desired changes are feasible and, above all, whether they are aesthetically reasonable. A standard that is applied to beautiful noses definitely does exist.

When it comes to creating beautiful proportions in art, the so-called golden section is usually applied. In this case, the face is divided lengthwise into thirds and horizontally into fifths. Now, all facial features are customized according to the resulting checkboxes. In each case, the nose is located in the middle boxes. 

Generally speaking, the face looks rougher and older if there is a hump and a drooping nose tip, depending on how pronounced they are. In contrast, a straight or slightly curved nasal bridge and a raised nose tip appear younger and more friendly.

During the consultation in our practice, it is interesting to note that most patients perceive even small modifications to their nose as clearly positive in the context of the simulation. We perceive ourselves from a very specific aesthetic perspective. In the broadest sense, we thus define the standard for beautiful noses ourselves. 

Some aesthetic factors serve as a guide for shaping the nose during rhinoplasty:

• The angle between the upper lip and the nasal bridge should measure between 100° and 110° in women. 
• The angle between the bridge of the nose and the vertical axis of the face should range between 30°-33°. 
• The outline of the nose when looking at the face should draw a softly curved line, starting from the eyebrows over the nasal root and the nasal bridge to the nose tip.
• The nostrils should be symmetrically oval-shaped.

In the case of men, their nose tends to be more prominent. The angle between the nasal bridge and the upper lip here is 90°-100°. The nasal bridge is straight.

Recently, you will find more and more pictures after rhinoplasty that show a clear curve in the nasal bridge with a deep-set nasal root. In specialist jargon, this alteration is called "infantilization": the face thereby appears younger since the nose in children exhibits a curve in the nasal bridge up to a certain age. 

Many people do not consider the fact that as we age, the quality of the skin on our faces deteriorates significantly. We get wrinkles, the tightness subsides and the tissue moves gradually downwards optically. However, if the nose is overly curved, it tends to look artificial and inappropriate after reaching a certain age. This may lead to nasal obstruction in the worse case, as the nose becomes unstable. 

However, one thing is certain: noses that look natural and fit harmoniously into the rest of the face will always be perceived as beautiful.