Whether you love or hate your nose, you have to give it props for its diverse and impressive abilities: “Aside from playing a crucial part in your appearance, the nose performs vital functions, like breathing, preventing infections, determining your sense of smell and taste, and even affecting the resonance of your voice,” says Neil Kao, MD, an allergist in Greenville, S.C. “Just imagine life without all the benefits of your normally functioning nose — you’d be miserable!”
To perform these important functions, your nose is home to a whole slew of fascinating parts and processes, from sensing pheromones to producing icky — but immunologically necessary — boogers. Even a simple sneeze involves carefully choreographed responses from muscles all over your body. Read on to learn more fascinating facts about your nose.
There Are 14 Types of Noses — at Least!
A recent survey in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery identified 14 human nose shapes. When Israeli professor of chemical engineering Abraham Tamir, PhD, surveyed images of 1,793 noses, he determined that they all fell into these basic types, ranging from the Greek nose (straight) to the hawk nose (sharp and “downward hooking.”) Most common was the “fleshy nose.” But many experts feel those classifications can’t possibly cover all the variations. “The nose is a complex structure made up of numerous pieces of cartilage and bone,” says Spencer Payne, MD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology (study of the ear, nose and throat) with the University of Virginia Health System. He explains that nose shape is determined by the positions of nasal bones, upper lateral cartilages, and lower lateral cartilages. “Any combination of differences in these three areas can create a truly unique appearance, which can change even more depending on whether the nose is seen in profile, from the front, or on an oblique angle.” Nose shape is also highly dependent on ethnicity.
Your Sneeze Style May Be Genetic
Some honk, some shout, some just can’t seem to stop — your style of sneezing is one of the many things that makes you who you are. The basic process of sneezing (called sternutation) usually starts when some kind of irritant, from pollen to black pepper, is detected by the trigeminal nerve (it branches throughout the face and head to provide motor control and sensory information). his irritation triggers a sequence of reflexes to expel the intruder: a deep inhalation followed by the closing the glottis in the throat and a buildup of pressure in the lungs (“ah”), then the sudden opening of the glottis as the diaphragm forces air up through the mouth and nose, expelling the irritant (“choo!”). That expulsion has some real power — particles in an average sneeze travel 100 miles per hour, says Dr. Payne.
And the particular style with which you execute this basic process could be something you inherit, Dr. Kao adds. “I’ve empirically noted similar styles of sneezes in families, probably because sneezes are a neurologic reflex we’re all born with,” he says. “Since tissues are very similar within families, all muscle actions, including smiling and laughing, will be similar also.”
Some honk, some shout, some just can’t seem to stop — your style of sneezing is one of the many things that makes you who you are. The basic process of sneezing (called sternutation) usually starts when some kind of irritant, from pollen to black pepper, is detected by the trigeminal nerve (it branches throughout the face and head to provide motor control and sensory information). his irritation triggers a sequence of reflexes to expel the intruder: a deep inhalation followed by the closing the glottis in the throat and a buildup of pressure in the lungs (“ah”), then the sudden opening of the glottis as the diaphragm forces air up through the mouth and nose, expelling the irritant (“choo!”). That expulsion has some real power — particles in an average sneeze travel 100 miles per hour, says Dr. Payne.
And the particular style with which you execute this basic process could be something you inherit, Dr. Kao adds. “I’ve empirically noted similar styles of sneezes in families, probably because sneezes are a neurologic reflex we’re all born with,” he says. “Since tissues are very similar within families, all muscle actions, including smiling and laughing, will be similar also.”
Cosmo Kramer Was Right About Beauty
When Kramer blurted out to George’s girlfriend that she was pretty except for her nose in the Seinfeld episode “The Nose Job,” he had a point — noses have a big impact on our perception of beauty. “The nose is the most prominent and protruding part of the human face, so it’s immediately noticed,” says Rod Rohrich, MD, professor and chairman of the department of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He adds that nose shape has historically been considered an indicator of character. “In Greek and Roman times, a strong, long nose meant power and strength.” It’s hardly surprising, then, that rhinoplasty is the second most common cosmetic surgical procedure. More than 250,000 “nose reshapings” were done in 2010, second only to breast augmentation, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dr. Rohrich says the nose job is the most difficult cosmetic and functional operation done by board-certified plastic surgeons because it is a “surgery of millimeters” — the difference between a good and bad outcome may be only one millimeter.
When Kramer blurted out to George’s girlfriend that she was pretty except for her nose in the Seinfeld episode “The Nose Job,” he had a point — noses have a big impact on our perception of beauty. “The nose is the most prominent and protruding part of the human face, so it’s immediately noticed,” says Rod Rohrich, MD, professor and chairman of the department of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He adds that nose shape has historically been considered an indicator of character. “In Greek and Roman times, a strong, long nose meant power and strength.” It’s hardly surprising, then, that rhinoplasty is the second most common cosmetic surgical procedure. More than 250,000 “nose reshapings” were done in 2010, second only to breast augmentation, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dr. Rohrich says the nose job is the most difficult cosmetic and functional operation done by board-certified plastic surgeons because it is a “surgery of millimeters” — the difference between a good and bad outcome may be only one millimeter.
The Nose Grows Downward
Your overall nasal shape is formed by age 10, and your nose continues to grow slowly until about age 15 to 17 in women and about age 17 to 19 in men, says Rohrich. But over time, the nose lengthens and droops due to the endless tug of gravity and the gradual breakdown of proteins collagen and elastin in your skin, especially in the nasal tip. “This is such a telltale sign of aging that I often do a tip rhinoplasty in my facelift patients,” Rohrich says.
Your overall nasal shape is formed by age 10, and your nose continues to grow slowly until about age 15 to 17 in women and about age 17 to 19 in men, says Rohrich. But over time, the nose lengthens and droops due to the endless tug of gravity and the gradual breakdown of proteins collagen and elastin in your skin, especially in the nasal tip. “This is such a telltale sign of aging that I often do a tip rhinoplasty in my facelift patients,” Rohrich says.
Your Nose Is a Top-Notch Air Filter
The air that fuels your entire respiratory system enters the body primarily through the nose’s two humble holes called external nares (a.k.a. nostrils), which are lined with hairs that block everything from dust to germs. Once air enters your nose, it’s funneled along grooves in the walls of your nasal cavity that cause it to swirl like currents in a stream. This churning process warms and moistens the air in order to protect sensitive lung tissue (which is why it’s better to breathe through your nose than your mouth on a freezing winter day). The process also filters the air by bringing any remaining particles, such as pollen or cold viruses, in contact with mucus lining the nasal cavity. Each day the nose and sinuses produce about one quart of mucus, which contains infection-fighting enzymes and white blood cells, and helps humidify the inhaled air and wash the nasal walls of filtered particles. While we swallow much of this mucus, if the inhaled air is dry it will absorb water from the mucus, leaving it in the flaky or pasty form we recognize as boogers or snot. The runny nose that strikes when you’re sick is a result of your nose’s attempt to kill invading germs with extra mucus.
The air that fuels your entire respiratory system enters the body primarily through the nose’s two humble holes called external nares (a.k.a. nostrils), which are lined with hairs that block everything from dust to germs. Once air enters your nose, it’s funneled along grooves in the walls of your nasal cavity that cause it to swirl like currents in a stream. This churning process warms and moistens the air in order to protect sensitive lung tissue (which is why it’s better to breathe through your nose than your mouth on a freezing winter day). The process also filters the air by bringing any remaining particles, such as pollen or cold viruses, in contact with mucus lining the nasal cavity. Each day the nose and sinuses produce about one quart of mucus, which contains infection-fighting enzymes and white blood cells, and helps humidify the inhaled air and wash the nasal walls of filtered particles. While we swallow much of this mucus, if the inhaled air is dry it will absorb water from the mucus, leaving it in the flaky or pasty form we recognize as boogers or snot. The runny nose that strikes when you’re sick is a result of your nose’s attempt to kill invading germs with extra mucus.
You Can Detect More Than 10,000 Scents
Here’s how your sniffer works: When you walk by a woman wearing Chanel No. 5, the perfume molecules enter your nose and waft over a patch of olfactory sensors on the ceiling of your nasal cavity, where they activate finger-like receptors that transmit chemical signals up to a central processor in your brain called the olfactory bulb, which registers the scent. This olfactory ability “plays a major role in the way we experience the world,” says Payne.
Humans have approximately 12 million olfactory receptor cells, according to the University of Washington, a number that decreases with age. This makes elderly people less sensitive to smells, which is why you may have a great uncle who hits the cologne a bit too hard.
How does human sniffing ability compare with that of other mammals? Not so well. The bloodhound, for example, boasts about 4 billion olfactory receptors. Top olfaction honors could go to the bear, which has a sense of smell seven times greater than that of a bloodhound, brags the American Bear Association.
Here’s how your sniffer works: When you walk by a woman wearing Chanel No. 5, the perfume molecules enter your nose and waft over a patch of olfactory sensors on the ceiling of your nasal cavity, where they activate finger-like receptors that transmit chemical signals up to a central processor in your brain called the olfactory bulb, which registers the scent. This olfactory ability “plays a major role in the way we experience the world,” says Payne.
Humans have approximately 12 million olfactory receptor cells, according to the University of Washington, a number that decreases with age. This makes elderly people less sensitive to smells, which is why you may have a great uncle who hits the cologne a bit too hard.
How does human sniffing ability compare with that of other mammals? Not so well. The bloodhound, for example, boasts about 4 billion olfactory receptors. Top olfaction honors could go to the bear, which has a sense of smell seven times greater than that of a bloodhound, brags the American Bear Association.
Your Nose Is Connected to Your Memory Center
Now, back to the Chanel No. 5. If that scent transported you to your childhood on an evening when your mom was primping for a night out, there’s a good reason. “Olfaction, or smell, is directly connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for the attribution of emotion to events,” says Payne. In fact, unlike the neural signals for other sensations like sight and touch, which have to go through a brain relay station called the thalamus, smell is the only one of the five senses with direct pathways to the brain’s hippocampus (involved in memory formation) and the amygdala (which processes emotion and memory). “Since a memory is accentuated when it has a strong emotional component, smells often become closely linked to certain events that engender the emotion contained in the memory,” Payne says.
The Nose Helped Invent Smooching
Romantic kissing may have come about as a way to detect pheromones, chemicals that are released by many animals (and humans) to elicit behavioral responses such as sexual attraction. Experts believe that nasal grooves in our nostrils are “pheromone-rich sites,” says Dr. Rohrich. So sniff away and pucker up!
Now, back to the Chanel No. 5. If that scent transported you to your childhood on an evening when your mom was primping for a night out, there’s a good reason. “Olfaction, or smell, is directly connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for the attribution of emotion to events,” says Payne. In fact, unlike the neural signals for other sensations like sight and touch, which have to go through a brain relay station called the thalamus, smell is the only one of the five senses with direct pathways to the brain’s hippocampus (involved in memory formation) and the amygdala (which processes emotion and memory). “Since a memory is accentuated when it has a strong emotional component, smells often become closely linked to certain events that engender the emotion contained in the memory,” Payne says.
The Nose Helped Invent Smooching
Romantic kissing may have come about as a way to detect pheromones, chemicals that are released by many animals (and humans) to elicit behavioral responses such as sexual attraction. Experts believe that nasal grooves in our nostrils are “pheromone-rich sites,” says Dr. Rohrich. So sniff away and pucker up!
What Your Nose Can't Smell Can Be Lethal
As sensitive as your nose is, it’s unable to smell natural gas, often used for heating homes and cooking, which would make a dangerous leak undetectable. So gas companies add the compound mercaptan to give natural gas a perceptible odor. Another odorless danger, carbon monoxide (CO), is responsible for more than 400 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends changing the batteries in your home CO detectorevery six months. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, adds the CDC.
Patience is Key to Nixing a Nosebleed
Also called epistaxis, a nosebleed is most likely to occur in winter (when low humidity combined with indoor heating creates dry conditions), and can be brought on by everything from nose picking to allergies, according to the National Institutes of Health. Blood thinning medication or conditions such as high blood pressure or even the common cold can increase your chances of a nosebleed. Whatever the cause, everyone seems to have their own advice for stopping one. But some of those are big no-no’s, like leaning back (which can cause blood to drain down your throat) or sticking gauze up your nose (though a hospital emergency room doctor may pack the nostril with a gauze “tampon,” doing this at home could cause infection). What you should do: Sit leaning slightly forward so blood drains out your nose; use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the soft part of your nose and breathe through your mouth; hold for a full 10 minutes before checking to see if the flow has stopped. Applying a cold compress to the bridge of your nose could help. If the bleeding continues for more than 20 minutes, see a doctor.
As sensitive as your nose is, it’s unable to smell natural gas, often used for heating homes and cooking, which would make a dangerous leak undetectable. So gas companies add the compound mercaptan to give natural gas a perceptible odor. Another odorless danger, carbon monoxide (CO), is responsible for more than 400 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends changing the batteries in your home CO detectorevery six months. The most common symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, adds the CDC.
Patience is Key to Nixing a Nosebleed
Also called epistaxis, a nosebleed is most likely to occur in winter (when low humidity combined with indoor heating creates dry conditions), and can be brought on by everything from nose picking to allergies, according to the National Institutes of Health. Blood thinning medication or conditions such as high blood pressure or even the common cold can increase your chances of a nosebleed. Whatever the cause, everyone seems to have their own advice for stopping one. But some of those are big no-no’s, like leaning back (which can cause blood to drain down your throat) or sticking gauze up your nose (though a hospital emergency room doctor may pack the nostril with a gauze “tampon,” doing this at home could cause infection). What you should do: Sit leaning slightly forward so blood drains out your nose; use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the soft part of your nose and breathe through your mouth; hold for a full 10 minutes before checking to see if the flow has stopped. Applying a cold compress to the bridge of your nose could help. If the bleeding continues for more than 20 minutes, see a doctor.
culled from everyday health.com
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