NOSE
The nose is a part of the face that is used for breathing and smelling. Very visible in humans, it emerges between the forehead and the upper lip. It is also called Pif or Tarin . It is an invariable masculine noun, so it is written the same in the singular and plural.
The word is also used to describe the front of something (an airplane, for example) or a heading (land projection over the ocean).
Translations : nose (English), nase (German), narize (Spanish), hoc (Russian), nāsus (Latin), Rhis, Rhinos (Greek).
Anatomy of the nose
The different parts of the nose
Dorsum : Bridge of the nose, bony part.
Lobule : Tip of the nose, contains the lateral and alar cartilage.
Columella : Segment of skin between the 2 nostrils. Contains the septal cartilage.
Nasal alae : external part of the nostrils. Contains the lateral cartilages.
Base of the nose : The nasal septum is the cartilage located between the 2 nasal passages on which many elements of the nose rest. If it is deviated, the nose will be asymmetrical. If it is humped, the nose will be hooked .
The nose is equipped with nasal cavities, frontal and ethmoid sinuses, bones, cartilage, and skin. Discover 5 anatomical charts of the nose .
The 9 Types of Noses
See the 9 types of noses (classic, aquiline, hooked, Bourbon, flat, drooping, straight and upturned). Also, you should know that the nose changes over the course of life, the fat gradually melts revealing the cartilage and the tissues relax which causes nasal drooping.
Climate adaptation
Nasal septa are narrow in cold countries and wide in hot countries.
Adaptation over time
Noses have gotten smaller and smaller over the decades. This is due to our sedentary lifestyle and a much less athletic lifestyle than our ancestors (who worked in the fields).
Functions of the nose
Olfaction: smelling odors
The nose houses the nasal passages. This is where odors are captured, coded, and sent as an electrical signal to the brain.
Breathing
The nose allows air to pass through so that it can travel to the throat and then the lungs. We can inhale and exhale through the nose.
Filtration
Nose hairs filter out the largest particles of dust. The nasal mucous membranes warm or cool the air and humidify it (saturate it with vapor) before it reaches the lungs. Thus, they trap and eliminate most viruses and bacteria. In fact, the nasal microbiota is composed of approximately 900 species.
Diseases
The nose is very exposed and is therefore prone to many diseases
Common cold
The nasal mucosa eliminates the vast majority of viruses and bacteria. Some, however, manage to enter the body. To defend itself, the human body produces a large amount of nasal mucus to fight the inflammation caused (nasal drip).
Skin cancer
Since the nose is very exposed to the sun (direct and reflection from glasses), it has a high risk of squamous cell carcinoma.
Fractures
Because it is very exposed and fragile, it is often fractured .
Bleeding nose
Nosebleeds (epitaxis) are relatively common. Nosebleeds contain many fragile blood vessels.
Article: What causes blackheads on the nose? How to remove them?
Chronic sinusitis, rhinitis, nasal polyposis, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyp, nasal polyps, nasal vestibulitis, cancer, mycosis.
Nose surgery: rhinoplasty
The nose can be operated on for several reasons: to repair it, to change its appearance, to restore its functions (breathing, sense of smell, etc.).
Reconstructive surgery
If the nose is broken (fall, fight, car accident, etc.), the surgeon will check the condition of the nasal septums on X-rays and perform an operation to restore their function. The nostril can also be torn by a torn piercing. The surgeon can also operate on the nose to remove a tumor and then cosmetically reconstruct the nose. Most of the time, these operations will be reimbursed by social security.
Injections
Hyaluronic acid injections can change the shape of the nose. However, the effect is temporary and disappears after a year. Silicone injections, on the other hand, are permanent.
Cosmetic nose surgery
Rhinoplasty is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery operations in the world. It allows you to remove a hump, change the shape of the tip of the nose, reduce the size of the nose, change the shape of the nostrils , and reduce ethnic characteristics (ethnic rhinoplasty). It is intended for people who cannot accept their nose and who have complexes (loss of self-confidence). The most common cases are humped, long, large, small, hooked, pig-shaped, potato-shaped, beet-shaped, duck-shaped, pot-footed, saddle-shaped, and spyglass-shaped noses.
According to current aesthetic standards, the most beautiful nose is the upturned one for women and the classic one for men. However, trends change frequently, so it is not recommended to undergo surgery to be “in fashion.”
It is possible to simulate a rhinoplasty from a photo before performing the operation.
Bleeding nose
Nosebleeds (epitaxis) are relatively common. They contain many fragile blood vessels. However, if the bleeding is excessive and frequent, doctors may cauterize the inside of the nose to resolve the problem.
Famous noses
Some historical figures or fictional characters are known for their atypical noses.
Clown
The clown’s #1 recognition system is the red nose
Cyrano de Berjerac
He is the famous character from Edmond Rostang’s play.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra has captured the collective imagination with her perfect little nose, which would have made Caesar succumb.
Pinocchio
Pinocchio is a little wooden man built by a tinker who couldn’t have children. His nose grows with every lie.
Voldemort
The villain character in Harry Potter is terrifying… because he doesn’t have a nose!
How to draw a nose?
Draw a realistic nose
The secret to drawing a nose is to draw everything… except the nose! You need to shade the sides, make a very white ridge, the two nostril holes in black, draw a line for each edge of the nostril, and make a very light circle for the tip of the nose.
Draw a nose in sketch or illustration
In illustration, nose drawings are very varied because it is a very important element in defining the character’s personality. For example, there was the Belgian school of big noses (Asterix, etc.). Sometimes it is just a dot or a line. Sometimes it is only the two nostrils that are represented. In illustration, the shapes are endless!
Nose piercing
After the ears, the nose is the most popular body part for piercings. There are single-nostril piercings, double-nostril piercings, chain piercings (from the nostril to the ear), and full or split nose rings that cross the columella. Because nostrils are made of cartilage, they are easy to pierce. However, columella piercings (the central ring) can be painful.
Expressions related to the nose
Many expressions refer to the nose in the French language. It is such an important element of the face that it has given rise to many expressions. It represents the front, the first thing that appears when man advances cautiously, consciousness since it is between the two eyes and man is above all a man of sight. It is what we have before our eyes, what we smell (smell) and what we sense (intuition).
Leading someone by the nose
This means that the person does everything that is asked of them.
Fingers in the nose
Said by someone who claims that the thing to do is easy. There may be a bit of arrogance and pretension or provocation.
Show the tip of one’s nose
Make a discreet, shy, suspicious appearance.
Stick your nose everywhere
Being too curious, indiscreet.
To have someone in the nose
This means that we hate that person.
A “nose” (person)
This is said of a person who has an excellent sense of smell and who participates in the creation of perfumes.
The mustard is rising to his nose
The person gets angry inside, ready to explode.
At a rough guess
It is a calculation of weight, distance, roughly, without precise measurement. An estimate without a measuring device.
Right under the nose
Doing something (often negative) in front of the person concerned without them realizing it while you were right in front of them.
To have a nose, to have a fine nose, to have a hollow nose
Having good feelings, guessing things, anticipating well, being smart.
To have a blocked nose
Having a nose blocked by mucus (cold, allergies, etc.) with the result that you can no longer breathe through your nose.
To have a blow in the nose, to have a glass in the nose,
Having a little too much to drink. Doing things you wouldn’t have done without being drunk. A reference to the red nose of alcoholics.
It’s hanging over his head
It will happen to him, he is too confident, the odds are that something bad will happen to him, he is too prone to luck.
Thumbing one’s nose
It means to taunt, to mock. Perhaps expressed when a person crushes their nose with their thumb.
Nose in the wind
Move around carefree and peacefully. Feel a sense of freedom.
He can’t see beyond the end of his nose
Being self-centered, not looking at what is happening around you, not anticipating the future, not being far-sighted (cygale).
Nose to nose
Two things or two people facing each other.
I’m talking about the nose
It’s a bit the opposite of what you might think. Speaking through your nose means having a distorted voice because your nose is blocked and you speak with your mouth, and therefore with a resonance.
It slipped under my nose
To miss something or someone by a small margin. Feelings of remorse for having missed something easy or obvious. An opportunity that will not come again.
He hung up on me
To interrupt a telephone conversation abruptly and without warning.
He laughed in my face
Make fun of him without hiding, being aware that he sees or hears.
He’s going to break his nose on it
To suffer a failure. To make a failed attempt.
It’s as obvious as the nose on your face.
Something obvious. Something blatant.
It’s coming out of his nose
To hate someone or something. To be annoyed, angry.
I’ll get the information out of him.
Conduct an effective interrogation to get the person to reveal what they know. Corner them and extract information they didn’t want to reveal.
To have Pinocchio’s nose, to have a nose that grows
To be a liar, to lie.
Want to simulate a rhinoplasty ?
Upload your profile photo and tell us what type of changes you’d like to see on your nose. We’ll send you a modified photo to show you what it might look like. You can then show the photo to your surgeon to ask if the surgery is technically feasible and how much it will cost.