So when you cry, some of the tears produced by your tear ducts drain into your nasal cavity where they mix with mucus, making your nose run. The nasolacrimal duct that drains tears from your eyes also opens into the nasal cavity, into the inferior meatus beneath the inferior concha. There are some other openings in the nasal cavity, apart from the sinuses. All draining into the nasal cavity, the sinus openings are found on its lateral walls and roof. There are four paired paranasal sinuses in humans, named after the bones they are located in: maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, and frontal sinus. These empty spaces, having a respiratory mucosa lining on their inner walls, all center on the nasal cavity, and are called the paranasal sinuses. There are certain air-filled areas within the bones surrounding the nasal cavity. However, the cartilages supporting the lower part of the nose become weak with age, which makes the tip of the nose droop, making it appear flatter and wider. As the upper part of the external nose is supported by bones (nasal bones) there are no noticeable changes in its appearance. In truth, the nose does not actually keep growing, but its shape does alter a little as one ages. There is a common myth that the human nose never stops growing, even after one reaches adulthood. ĭoes Your Nose Keep Growing All Your Life Nasal Septum: The front part of the septum is made of the septal cartilages while its posterior end joins with the front part of the ethmoid and vomer bones, as well as the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone. The number of the lesser alar cartilage often vary from person to person, usually ranging from three to four on each side. The large lateral and major alar cartilages (two of each for the two sides of the nose) play the primary role in shaping up the nose. The flexible lower part is composed of the lateral, greater alar, and lesser alar cartilages along with the cartilaginous septum. The upper part of the human nose is quite hard and bony, with the nasal bones forming the nose bridge, while the sides of the upper external nose are supported by the frontal processes and medial plates of the maxilla. Bones and Cartilages of the External Nose The primary cartilages in the human nose include the lateral, septal, and the greater and lesser alar cartilages. Also, there are three pairs of nasal conchae (nasal turbinates) that protrudes spirally from the sides of the nasal cavity on both sides. The nasal walls are formed of three paired and two unpaired bones the paired ones are the nasal, palatine and maxillary bones, while the vomer and ethmoid bones are unpaired. Nasal Skeleton: What Bones and Cartilages are there in Your Nose There are two such patches of olfactory receptors in each nasal cavity, located beneath the two olfactory bulbs, the region that connects the nose with olfactory (smelling region) of the brain. Humans have around 5 to 6 million of these receptors (as opposed to dogs who have 220 million). Olfactory Region: The highest point of the nasal cavity, the olfactory region contains the olfactory receptor neurons.Respiratory Region: The wide space within the nose covered with cilia and mucus-secreting goblet cells.
It is surrounded by the wings of the nose and the nasal septum, while its floor is formed of the hard palate.