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Does Losing Weight Affect Your Nose? Does It Get Smaller 2025
Updated on
- Written by Ananya Lahiri, Former Writer
Medically reviewed by
Kimberly Langdon, MD
The nose is a vital feature of the face. The size and shape of the nose have a major say in how we look. Celebrities spend thousands of dollars to get that perfect nose. So, if you are on a weight loss regime, and hopeful or concerned that your nose will get smaller when you lose weight, we get you.
Losing weight brings a bunch of changes to the body. If you are overweight, shedding the extra pounds can help you get back to a healthy life. Losing weight very quickly is often not suggested as your body also needs time to adjust to the changes. Abrupt weight loss might lead to stress.
So, will your nose really get smaller if you lose weight? How will weight loss affect your nose and your overall appearance? If you have been hovering over these questions, here’s what you need to know.
Does Your Nose Get Smaller When You Lose Weight?
When you lose weight, you primarily lose the excess fats from the face and body. The nasal skeleton[1] is made of bones and cartilage but not fat cells. So, your nose does not get smaller when you lose weight.
The nose size and shape of a fully grown human will remain unchanged unless it is changed through plastic surgery or because of an accident. Losing weight or gaining does not make the nose smaller or bigger.
That said, after losing weight your nose might appear larger or sharper than before. This doesn’t happen because your nose truly changes its shape or size but because fat from other places of your face, like the cheeks and jaw area is lost, which gives the nose a more prominent and sharper look.
Similarly, on gaining weight, your nose might look shorter or blunt. If you gain fat on the cheeks, it will naturally make your nose look short. Losing or gaining weight changes the overall proportion of the face which can make your nose look different. Nevertheless, the actual size or shape of the nose remains unchanged.
How weight loss changes your face?
Weight loss can considerably change how your face looks. Interestingly, when one starts losing or gaining weight it does not impact the entire face at first. Depending on your body shape and genetics, weight gain or loss first becomes prominent towards the middle part of the body, or the hips and thighs.
According to studies, on average, you need to gain or lose at least 8 to 9 pounds[2] of weight to see any changes on the face. Weight loss or gain that is less than this range generally will not affect the face.
If you are on a weight loss regime, there’s more good news for you. The same study notes, losing weight might make you more attractive. But to look more beautiful, you should lose around 14 to 18 pounds.
The study also advocates a strong link between more facial fat and poor heart function, compromised immunity, and frequent respiratory infections. So, if you are losing weight and it is visible on your face, it can make you more healthy and attractive at the same time.
How to make your nose look smaller?
Rhinoplasty is one of the most sought-after procedures for a perfect nose. If you are ready to go under the knife, a cosmetic surgeon can help you to plan and get the most perfect nose as per your other facial features and expectations. But, if you are not willing to go for plastic surgery, there are also a few other ways to make your nose look petite or slimmer. Let’s find out how these might help.
Nose exercises
There are some interesting nose exercises that might help to build the muscles on the sides of the nose, making it smaller, sharper, or slimmer over time. One such exercise suggests, sharpening your nose, lightly push the tip of your nose upwards with your index finger while smiling. You should do it 20 to 30 times a day for visible changes. But there is no proof or studies to support the effectiveness of such exercises.
Makeup Technique
Some simple makeup tricks can be helpful to make your nose look smaller or sharper instantly without going into any hassle. Reduce the gap between your two eyebrows and bring them closer to the nose. This will give your nose a slimmer look. With proper use of a highlighter, you can easily make a round nose look sharper. You need not be a makeup expert to follow these tricks but still, you might consult a makeup professional to get the desired nose shape.
Effect of facial weight loss on the Skin
Losing excess weight is good for your physical and mental health but if you are losing a lot of weight too quickly, it can adversely affect your skin. The skin is made of elastin and collagen fibers. These fibers maintain the elasticity and tautness of the skin. When you gain weight, the skin is stretched. The excess stretch, over time, may affect the natural elasticity of the skin.
So, if you were obese and then you lose weight too quickly, your skin might sag. This is what happens after bariatric surgery. The same thing can happen to your face or any part of the body. Losing a lot of facial fat quickly can lead to the appearance of wrinkles or sagging skin.
The good thing is, if you lose weight slowly as recommended, you probably won’t have to deal with such issues. The ability of the skin to get back to a normal taut condition after losing weight also depends on other factors like age, genetics, diet, and lifestyle.
If you are on a weight loss regime, it is best to take some extra care of your facial skin to ensure that it is healthy. Healthy skin with a little pampering can easily manage weight loss and if you are losing weight following a proper diet and exercise regime, your skin will actually become better.
Can weight loss change rhinoplasty results?
Rhinoplasty specifically focuses on the nose. If you are planning to lose weight, being concerned about the effect of weight loss on your improved nasal structure is normal. There is no fat on the nose, so even if you might think that you can put on fat on the nose or lose fat from the nose, it is practically impossible.
With that said, it is also essential to keep in mind that the nose is a part of the face, and as weight loss or gain will affect your total facial profile, it might actually make some alterations in how the nose appears. Losing weight will make your nose look thinner and more pronounced, though there is not actually any change in the shape or size of the nose itself.
According to facial plastic surgeons, if you have got rhinoplasty, it is best to lose weight slowly. Focus on proper nutrition and exercises that will naturally burn off the extra pounds without causing excess stress on the body.
Conclusion
As you lose weight, your body gets rid of the extra fat. The size or shape of the nose is not affected by weight loss or gain as there are no fat cells on the nose. Losing weight might lead to the loss of extra fat from the cheeks and jaw area, which will naturally affect your overall facial profile giving your face a slimmer appearance. This might make your nose look smaller or narrower, but there will be no actual change to the structure or shape of your nose.
So, if your doctor has suggested you lose weight or you want to lose weight to look and feel your best, always do it by following a proper regime that helps you lose the extra weight slowly.
+ 2 sources
Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here
- The Nasal Skeleton – Bones – Cartilage – Fractures – TeachMeAnatomy. Teachmeanatomy.info. Published 2013. Accessed April 11, 2021. https://teachmeanatomy.info/head/osteology/nasal-skeleton/#:~:text=The%20nasal%20skeleton%20is%20a,nasal%20cavities%20of%20the%20head
- Losing weight can make you more attractive, experts say – but there’s a catch. University of Toronto News. Published 2015. Accessed April 11, 2021. https://www.utoronto.ca/news/losing-weight-can-make-you-more-attractive-experts-say-%E2%80%93-theres-catch
Written by:
Ananya Lahiri, Former Writer
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
