And Platyrrhine nose is common in Africans. Leptorrhine noses are common in Caucasians. As a result, even though there is a golden proportion that is deemed conventionally attractive according to modern aesthetics, personal preference for nose type varies across the planet. The ethnic shape of noses as they vary by region is as much determined by climate and environment as it is by other factors such as genetic drift and sexual selection, which is why the phenotypes for noses across the world vary so widely. In warmer climates, having wide nostrils and a shorter, broader nose bridge helps to keep air cool as it enters the respiratory tract, which in turn helps to reduce metabolic pressure to maintain cool body temperature in scorching environments.
In turn, these longer noses in cold climates help prevent cold-weather peoples from succumbing to climate-related diseases. The longer a person’s nose is, the warmer the air is by the time it reaches their respiratory tract and lungs, and the more exposure this air has to the bacteria and detritus-trapping hairs of the nasal passage. Studies have shown that those people who have a facial structure that conforms with colder climates, such as Nordic peoples, tend to have longer and narrower nasal passages than those who hail from hot, humid climates.Īs air is passed through the nasal passage, it is warmed by the interior of the nasal cavity. So, why do people have so many different shapes of noses? The main reason for varying nose shapes comes back to human evolution in response to different climates. Unfortunately, this kind of cosmetic surgery was deemed immoral by the church of the day, and it was primarily blackballed and historically forgotten until its reemergence in the late 1700s when it was reintroduced to Europe through a magazine article summarizing and explaining Susrata’s Indian nasal reconstructive methods. In India, this led to the adoption of a nasal reconstructive surgery designed by the surgeon Susruta (known as the father of modern surgery) that reconstructed an amputated nose through the use of a flap of forehead skin. Since a rhinotomy (or nasal amputation) is considered extremely disfiguring, the practice of nasal reconstruction in medieval medicine cropped up to combat this problem. This led to an interest in the reconstruction of damaged or displeasing nasal appearances early on in human history. From warfare to bloodsports to fisticuffs at the local tavern, broken noses are a mainstay of common human injuries. īecause they are soft and cartilaginous, noses are also one of the most easily damaged structures in the human face from the result of blunt force trauma. The oldest medical treatise that refers to nasal corrective surgery in the ancient world is a treatise by the Egyptian physician Imhotep called the Edwin Smith Papyrus.
While most people probably associate cosmetic surgery and nose jobs with modern medical science, the truth is that rhinoplasty (or corrective nose surgery) has been around for thousands of years.ĭating back to the ancient Egyptians, physicians have performed surgeries both to try to reconstruct facial trauma as the result of nose damage or loss, as well as facial surgeries to improve the overall appearance of the nose in the upper class. Read on to learn more about the various nose shapes that you might run across and how they hold up to standards of facial aesthetics.įor a quick overview of important nose aesthetics principles, check out this Looks Theory episode: Nose shapes vary widely by ethnicity and geographical background. According to facial aesthetics, the ideal nose shape should be in proportional symmetry with the rest of the features of the face, especially the eyes and mouth. There are many different kinds of nose shapes throughout the world – from aquiline noses to Roman noses that are considered attractive. However, throughout history, the human nose has been a powerful cultural icon with multiple connotations and standards of beauty around the world. Noses are the cornerstone of the field of facial aesthetics, and while humans go from daylight to dark looking at our own noses out of the corner of our eyes, we rarely notice them.
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