Concerns / Mid Face / Nose Shape
Types of noses: shapes, angles
and what they measure
Search for types of noses and you will find twelve names and a photograph of each. Greek, Roman, aquiline, button, bulbous, snub. The names are useful shorthand, and most people recognise their own somewhere in the list.
What the lists do not explain is that those names describe appearance rather than anatomy, and that the numbers underneath them are what a clinician actually uses.
Dr Ibrahim Hawli
MBBS · Registered Medical Practitioner
In short
Nose type names are descriptive vocabulary, not a scientific classification, and none of them has a formal boundary. What carries a number is the nasal index, which sorts noses by width against height, and the profile angles at the root, tip and base. Published ranges for those angles disagree with each other, and preference for them varies by sex, age and ethnicity, so there is no single ideal. Every measurement that matters is taken from the side, which is why a front-facing photograph cannot assess a nose. Surgery is not performed at this practice.
01 / Vocabulary
What a nose type name
is actually describing
Nose shape classification sorts noses by three visible things. Surgeons reach for the names during consultation, anthropometrists use a measured version of them, and makeup artists use them as shorthand for where a shadow will read on camera.
01
The bridge
The line of the dorsum running from brow to tip, and whether it is straight, convex or low.
02
The tip
The form and angle of the tip itself, including rotation and whether it reads as upturned or downturned.
03
The base
The width of the nostril base, measured across the alar rims.
None of the names carries a formal boundary. There is no measurement at which a Roman nose becomes an aquiline one. That is not a flaw in the vocabulary, it is what the vocabulary is for.
It becomes a problem only when someone treats a type name as a diagnosis.
02 / The Names
The twelve nose shapes
people mean
Twelve names circulate in general use. They sort into three families depending on which feature the name is describing.
Family one
Bridge-led names
Greek · Roman · Aquiline · Hawk · Hooked
Greek describes a straight dorsum with little break at the root. Roman a slight convexity high on the bridge. Aquiline and hawk a more pronounced convexity. Hooked a downward-turning tip below a convex bridge.
Family two
Tip-led names
Snub · Celestial · Button · Bulbous · Fleshy
Snub and celestial describe a short nose with an upturned tip. Button a small nose with a rounded tip. Bulbous and fleshy a wider, softer tip with thicker skin.
Family three
Base-led names
Nubian · Flat · Wide
Nubian describes a longer nose with a wider base. Flat or wide describes lower dorsal height with a broader base.
Most noses do not sit cleanly in one category. A bridge can be Roman while a tip reads as bulbous. The categories are not exclusive, and a person can reasonably identify with two or three of them.
03 / Measurement
What the nasal
index measures
The nasal index is the one number in general circulation that has a defined method. It divides nose width by nose height and multiplies by one hundred.
The broad version sorts into three groups: leptorrhine below 70, mesorrhine between 70 and 85, and platyrrhine above 85. A finer version, the Olivier classification, divides the same scale into seven bands.
Olivier classification, seven bands
Below 40
Overly narrow
40 to 55
Very narrow
55 to 70
Narrow
70 to 85
Medium
85 to 100
Broad
100 to 115
Very broad
Above 115
Overly broad
For context on how those bands distribute in a real population, a morphometric study of young adults found 78 per cent of women and 70 per cent of men fell into the narrow band. Distribution varies substantially between populations, which is exactly why the index describes rather than prescribes.
04 / The Angles
The profile angles, and why
the published ranges disagree
Four angles are measured in nasal assessment, and all four are taken from the side.
01
Nasofrontal angle
At the root
Between forehead and bridge. Classic texts place it between 115 and 130 degrees.
02
Nasal tip angle
At the tip
Measured means of 77.91 degrees in women and 82.16 in men in one morphometric study.
03
Nasolabial angle
Columella to lip
Determines whether a tip reads upturned or downturned. Measured means of 98.91 degrees in women, 97.91 in men.
04
Alar slope angle
At the base
Describes the nostril base. Measured at 80.89 degrees in women and 85.98 in men.
Now the part the listicles leave out
The published figures do not agree with each other. Against the textbook range of 115 to 130 degrees for the nasofrontal angle, one study measured a mean of 133.16 degrees in women and 123.85 in men. A separate study of 142 participants measured 141.64 degrees in women and 138.49 in men.
Those are three different answers to the same question, all from measured data. The honest position is that these numbers describe populations, with wide standard deviations, and that a nose sitting outside a published mean is not abnormal.
05 / Preference, Not Standard
Why there is no single
ideal nose shape
This is worth stating directly, because a great deal of content implies otherwise.
A preference study recruited 98 volunteers and asked them to rank nasolabial angles. More useful than the numbers is what predicted them. Age, sex, race, education and having previously had rhinoplasty all predicted differences in the preferred male angle.
A separate three-dimensional imaging study in a different population found preferred nasofrontal angles of 137.64 degrees for men and 133.55 for women, again differing from the studies above.
104.9°
Preferred female angle
Most preferred nasolabial angle in the 98-volunteer study.
97.0°
Preferred male angle
From the same sample, a materially different figure.
5
Predictive factors
Age, sex, race, education and previous rhinoplasty.
Preference is culturally and demographically variable, and it is measurable as such. Any practitioner presenting one set of numbers as the correct nose is describing a preference and calling it a standard.
06 / Scope
What is nose reshaping,
and what this clinic does not do
The term covers two entirely different things, and conflating them causes most of the confusion patients arrive with.
Surgical rhinoplasty
Alters the bone and cartilage of the nose. Performed by specialist surgeons in an operating theatre, under anaesthetic. It can change nasal structure permanently, and it is the only approach that reduces the physical size of a nose.
Non-surgical approaches
Work on soft tissue contour only. They cannot reduce a nose, alter bone, or change cartilage.
Surgery is not performed at this practice.
Dr Hawli holds general medical registration and does not hold specialist registration as a plastic surgeon. Where surgery is the appropriate course for what a patient wants, referral to an appropriate specialist is the recommendation, and it is made without hesitation.
Nasal assessment here includes establishing whether a non-surgical approach is suitable at all. Frequently the honest answer is that it is not, and saying so is part of the assessment rather than a failure of it.
07 / Photographs
Why a front-facing photo
cannot assess a nose
Every angle described above is a lateral measurement. The nasofrontal angle, the tip angle, the nasolabial angle and tip projection are all read from the side.
A front-facing photograph shows width, base shape and symmetry. It shows nothing about dorsal profile, tip rotation, tip projection or the angle at the root. Those are the variables that determine what is achievable and what is not.
Skin thickness is a further factor, and it cannot be photographed at all. A thick-skinned nose and a thin-skinned nose with identical measurements behave differently, and the difference is established by palpation.
08 / Function First
Nasal shape and breathing
are connected
The nose is a functional structure before it is a feature.
Airflow depends on the internal architecture: the septum, the turbinates and the nasal valves. Shape and function are related, and a nose that looks a particular way sometimes looks that way because of an underlying structural issue.
See a GP or ENT specialist first if you have
- Difficulty breathing through one or both nostrils
- Snoring that has worsened
- Recurrent sinus problems
- A history of nasal trauma
Cosmetic assessment does not substitute for that, and any practitioner who does not ask about your breathing during a nasal consultation has not completed the assessment.
09 / Assessment
What a nasal
assessment covers
Photographs may be taken as a clinical record, in standard views, and are not used for advertising.
- Nasal profile in lateral view, including dorsal line, root angle, tip rotation and tip projection
- Nasal width and base shape in frontal view, and symmetry between sides
- Skin thickness, assessed by palpation, since it determines how much surface change is visible
- Deviation, and whether it is soft tissue, structural, or both
- Relationship of the nose to the chin, forehead and lips, since nasal proportion is judged against the rest of the face
- Breathing history, previous nasal trauma and any previous nasal surgery
- What you are hoping to change, and whether a non-surgical approach can achieve it
- Whether referral for surgical or ENT assessment is the appropriate recommendation
10 / Before You Decide
What to know before
your consultation
Every option carries potential risks as well as potential benefits, and no cosmetic medical procedure is risk free. The nose sits among vessels that supply the skin of the nasal tip and the surrounding area, and clinical literature treats it as a region requiring particular anatomical caution.
Bring a list of your current medications, and details of any previous nasal surgery or injury including approximate dates.
Assessed at consultation
Factors that may make a non-surgical approach inadvisable
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Active infection or inflammation of the nasal skin
- Nasal obstruction or breathing difficulty not yet assessed
- Previous nasal surgery, depending on findings
- Previous nasal trauma with structural deviation
- Certain autoimmune or connective tissue conditions
- Certain medications, including blood thinning medication
- Wanting a reduction in nasal size, which a non-surgical approach cannot achieve
- Unrealistic expectations about achievable change
Individual results vary. Not all people are suitable candidates. In some cases the appropriate recommendation is that nothing be undertaken, or that a different practitioner is the right person to see.
11 / What Happens
What happens at your consultation in Glenroy
Appointments run 30 to 45 minutes. A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book. No referral is required to attend.
01
Discussion
What you have noticed or would like to change, how long it has been a concern, breathing history, previous nasal trauma or surgery, medical history and current medications.
02
Assessment
The nose is examined in frontal, lateral and base views, with palpation for skin thickness and structural deviation, and assessed against overall facial proportion.
03
Information
What is clinically appropriate, whether a non-surgical approach can achieve what you want, whether referral is the better course, risks, alternatives and the option of proceeding with nothing.
04
Decision
You are not asked to decide on the day. Time to consider information is part of informed consent.
12 / Service Area
Assessment for patients across Melbourne's northern suburbs
The clinic is on Glenroy Road, close to Glenroy Station and the Pascoe Vale Road corridor. Patients attend from Glenroy, Hadfield, Fawkner, Oak Park, Gowanbrae, Pascoe Vale, Coburg North, Broadmeadows, Campbellfield and Craigieburn.
13 / Common Questions
Questions patients
ask
If your question is not answered here, ask it at your consultation. There is time set aside for exactly that.
Twelve names circulate in general use, but there is no agreed number because the categories are descriptive rather than scientific. None has a formal boundary. The measured classifications, such as the nasal index, use three or seven bands depending on the version.
It depends entirely on the population measured. One morphometric study of young adults found 78 per cent of women and 70 per cent of men fell into the narrow band of the nasal index. A study in a different population would produce different proportions.
No. Preference studies show the preferred nasolabial angle varies with the participant’s age, sex, ethnicity and education. Published normal ranges for nasal angles also disagree with one another. Anyone presenting a single set of numbers as correct is describing a preference.
It is a marketing term rather than a clinical one, generally used to describe non-surgical approaches that alter the appearance of tip rotation. It does not lift anything structurally and it cannot reduce nasal size.
No. Every measurement that matters is taken from the side, and skin thickness cannot be photographed at all. Assessment requires examination in person.
They are related. Airflow depends on the septum, turbinates and nasal valves. If you have difficulty breathing through your nose, snoring that has worsened, or a history of nasal injury, that should be assessed by a GP or an ENT specialist before anything cosmetic is considered.
No. Surgery is not performed at this practice. Where surgery is the appropriate course, referral to an appropriate specialist is the recommendation.
A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book.
Related concerns
Nasal proportion is judged against the whole face
Written and clinically reviewed by
Dr Ibrahim Hawli, MBBS
Level 1 Certification, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine. Advanced training in non-surgical nasal work with Aesthetic Intelligence.
Last reviewed: [insert month year] · Next review due: [insert month year]
Your first step is
an assessment.
This page provides general information about cosmetic medical consultations and does not constitute medical advice. Any cosmetic medical procedure carries risks. Individual outcomes vary and not all people are suitable candidates. Surgery is not performed at this practice. Any decision follows an individual consultation and assessment with a registered medical practitioner.