Nose shape can be a source of glory or insecurity for most people. These days, it’s easy enough to undergo rhinoplasty if you have the money. However, if you’re short on cash, you’ve probably searched for information on nose exercises.
These nose exercises are slowly gaining attention from people who desperately need to reshape their noses, but efficiently and affordably. There are video tutorials and blog posts popping up about these exercises. Nevertheless, the effects will always vary, and you should not expect drastic changes.
There is no compelling evidence for nose exercises working as of yet. Some people have claimed to achieve results with nose exercises and facial yoga. But there is no mechanism by which exercise could alter the nose shape enough to be noticeable, even by exercising the nose muscles (which are used for facial expressions).
I don’t believe nose exercises work, or at least that they work better than placebo. That’s not to say they don’t do anything at all; however, I cannot recommend spending any time on nose exercises. But I’ve still researched and wrote about these exercises in case you’re curious. At the very least, it’s worth checking out some people’s “results” as they are.
For an overview of important nose aesthetics principles, check out this Looks Theory episode:
The only exercise that could potentially change your nose is mewing, by creating more maxillary support and fixing any “hook” that has been created by facial recession. However, this would take years. Here is the way the face changes with mewing, and as you can see, it can straighten the bridge of the nose.
But keep in mind that most of the time, a hooked nose is genetic and not due to any underlying flaw that mewing can fix. For more info on mewing, visit our Ultimate Guide.
Nose Exercise Objectives
Your nose shape should be prominent by the age of 10, but it will continue to grow into its form until 17-19 years old. Though it will change throughout your life, your nose shape is almost permanent at 10 years old.
Your nose will go through a lot of changes as you grow older. The skin around it will sag, and your nasal tip will droop and become larger. This is where nose exercises might be most useful.
Nose exercises are not an overnight process, and you won’t see dramatic results after a week of doing them. It will need every single ounce of your patience and diligence. Here are some of the possible outcomes of nose exercise.
When you apply pressure to the bridge of the nose, you are trying to stimulate changes in the nose structure. Keep in mind that the nose is comprised of bones and cartilage that don’t need strong forces.
Sharpen the Nose
Breathing exercises can help the nose get a sharper shape. When you block one nostril and inhale, you are contracting the muscles around the nose. This contraction helps maintain a narrow airway in the nose.
Familiarize yourself with this breathing exercise, and you will notice that your nose has more strength. Eventually, you will have a sharp nose as there is no longer a need to have wide nostrils to breathe in air. Make sure that you do the exercise on both nostrils, so the contraction is on both sides of the nose walls.
Make the Tip Pointier
When you repeatedly push the tip of your nose upwards, it makes your nose look straighter since it counters the drooping appearance of the tip—nose exercises with this kind of gesture help by changing the length of the nose. Also, continuously pushing the tip of your nose upward trains the muscles around the sides and hinders drooping and sagging of the nasal tissues.
Gets Rid of Smile Lines
Nasolabial folds are the name for the smile lines around the nose and mouth. Smile lines are usually attractive when we are younger, but as we age, the cheeks sag and look more like a wrinkle on the lower face. It emphasizes the nose and affects its shape.
Nose exercises that involve stretching the skin upwards help eliminate the smile lines. You can help pull the skin up around the smile line by gently placing your fingers on both sides of the lip, then make an upward motion. Do this for at least five minutes a day with a 10-second interval each, like so:
Nose Exercises You Can Do at Home
There are plenty of options for treating the nose that are going to be much more effective than nose exercises. However, if you still want to stick with nose exercises, here are a few you can practice while in the comfort of your home.
Nose Wiggling
You can do this while facing the mirror, close your mouth, and repeatedly wiggle your nose from one side to another. This exercise helps build the muscles around the nose area and primes your nose for future nose exercises.
Nose wiggling starts by expanding the nostrils as wide as you can, then you can gradually try fastening the sides. You should do this for 5 minutes a day, at the least.
Nose Massages
Nose massages are probably the most relaxing nose exercise. You can do this by placing two fingers from both hands and gently rubbing from the tip to the bridge of the nose. Rub the nose in a clockwise motion using one finger then counter-clockwise on the other.
The nose massage purportedly also relieves migraines, apart from reshaping your nose. Make sure you don’t apply too much pressure while massaging your nose, as this may cause bruises. Also, never expect immediate results with massages. As with all nose exercises, it takes months or years of consistent dedication to see the results, if any.
Breathing Exercises
Another relaxing activity for your nose is breathing exercises. Begin by sitting down and blocking one nostril, then breathe through the other one. Doing this while you are sitting allows you to breathe more in-depth than your regular breathing routine.
Breathe for 8 seconds in one nostril and then transfer to the other one. This exercise helps contract the muscles of your nose, which gives the nose a more straight shape. Do this breathing exercise for 5 minutes each day.
Smile While Pushing your Nose Upward
Too much smiling will cause you to have obvious smile lines around the nose and mouth area. You can counter this by applying gentle pressure on the tip of your nose while you are smiling. The upwards motion initiates a contraction of the muscles in the nose and, at the same time, stretches them.
Inhale as deeply as you possibly can and exhale all the air out. As you do this, your muscles will feel a pulling effect leading to a straighter nose. This exercise also helps with the results of aging and prevents your nose from drooping down.
Personal Anecdotes
There’s a lot of videos of individuals suggesting they got a better-looking nose after doing different exercises. Some of their testimonials are listed below.
One of the most famous advocates of nose exercises is Koko Hayashi, who has been practicing it for a couple of years. She matches nose exercises with facial yoga for optimum results. You can view her journey with nose exercises on her YouTube channel.
Another advocate of nose exercises is Youtuber BambiiAnna. She seems to have had a different nose appearance at the age of 11-14 years old and an attractive nose by the time she hit 16-18 years old. Whether the changes are from puberty, nose exercises, surgery, or if there even were any changes at all is anybody’s guess though. You can view her nose changes in this video.
There’s a lot of testimonials available online, and they all promise changes when it comes to different nose structures. The main problem, though, is that it’s hard to verify if changes ever occurred, or if there was surgery involved, or if the nose just changed with age. Before more evidence surfaces for nose exercises, the rational thing to do would be to pretend like they don’t exist, unless you have a bunch of time to kill each day to dedicate to doing these exercises.
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty is the best way to change your nose shape. Because surgeons can go in through the nostril and aren’t working with bones, they’ve gotten good at manipulating the nasal structure. This is a relatively easy procedure for you. You can come in as an outpatient and walk out the same day. After that is a week or two of recovery. However, this doesn’t mean the procedure is easy for the surgeon. You want to find a board-certified plastic surgeon with lots of experience under their belt.
Dermal Fillers
If you’re not keen on getting surgery, dermal fillers are a great alternative. They are injected into the nose via a cannula. The fillers last for 3-6 months, and you can have them easily dissolved in the office if you don’t like the outcome. The risk is relatively minimal compared to a rhinoplasty. However, your options are limited compared to a rhino, and you can only add size to the nose strategically.
For more info on the nose, check out our Nose Shapes Guide.
