The nasal cartilage, measured
The cartilaginous framework of the nose: the septum, the lower lateral cartilages and where the lateral crus sits, by sample, population and sex. Every figure attributed.
3 steps in order, lit one after another by a travelling dot: n, nasion, Bridge root, where nose meets forehead; prn, pronasale, Most anterior point of the nasal tip; sn, subnasale, Base of the columella, under the nose.
Landmarks: n nasion · prn pronasale · sn subnasale · al alare, the alar rim · ac alar crease
The nose is a two-tier structure: a bony vault above (nasal bones and the frontal process of the maxilla) and a cartilaginous framework below. The bony vault ends around the mid-dorsum. Everything from there to the tip and the alar wings is cartilage.
The framework and the septum
Two blocks side by side. Bony vault: Nasal bones and the frontal process of the maxilla; Ends around the mid-dorsum. Cartilaginous framework: Everything from the mid-dorsum to the tip and the alar wings; Deforms, rather than sitting on bone.
| Part | What it is | What it drives |
|---|---|---|
| Septal cartilage (quadrangular) | The midline plate; the keystone of the framework | dorsal height, tip projection, columellar support[9] |
| Upper lateral cartilages | Triangular sheets rolled off the septum, forming the middle vault | the mid-dorsal contour, the internal nasal valve[10] |
| Lower lateral cartilages (alar) | Horseshoe-shaped; each has medial, middle and lateral crura | tip position and form, alar sidewalls, columella, nostril shape[1] |
| Accessory and sesamoid cartilages | Small islands between the lateral crus and the piriform aperture | the lateral alar wall, the soft outer edge of the nostril |
The cartilaginous framework of the nose
The upper and lower lateral cartilages meet at the scroll, and the two domes meet at the midline tip, joined by the interdomal ligament (Pitanguy ligament); an interdomal fat pad of roughly 3 mm sits between them.[4] This tip assembly is the only part of the face that is entirely cartilaginous and entirely soft. It deforms, rather than sitting on bone.
The septum
| Measure | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Plate thickness | ≈ 2 mm | hyaline cartilage, near-uniform across the septum[9] |
| Cartilaginous dorsal length | 21 ± 5 mm (cadaver) · 26 ± 4 mm (MRI) | method-dependent spread[6][8] |
| Septal cartilage area | 692 mm² (MRI) · 817 mm² (cadaver) · 872 ± 220 mm² (CT) | decreases with age[6][7][8] |
| Cartilage share of total septum | ≈ 34% | Korean CT, all ages pooled: 0.41 in teenagers, 0.30 over 70; the rest is ethmoid, vomer and maxillary crest[7] |
| Keystone overlap with the nasal bone | 7 ± 2 mm | range 3-15 mm; shrinks with age[6] |
| Sex gap | ≈ 5 ± 4 mm shorter in females (cadaver) | not replicated by MRI, so weak[6][8] |
Septal cartilage, by method and sample
Who these numbers describe: the MRI series is 280 Korean patients, and the CT series 123 Korean patients aged 4 to 99 (mean 41), so the pooled CT area of 872 mm² includes children and teenagers. Within the CT series the area fell from about 1,055 mm² in teenagers to about 697 mm² over age 70, and males had significantly larger areas and a higher cartilage share.[7] The cadaver values (dorsal length, area, sex gap) come from 57 specimens[8] and were not re-checked against the full text.
The lower lateral cartilages
Horizontal bars grow from a zero line, one per row. Septal cartilage plate: about 2 mm; Alar cartilage, Indian series: 0.92 ± 0.25 mm; Alar cartilage, Korean female: 0.54 mm; Alar cartilage, Korean male: 0.55 mm.
These carry the tip and the alar walls, and they are the best-measured cartilage in the face. The figures come from rhinoplasty and cadaver series: small samples, often older patients, usually a single population. They disagree about sex, and it is worth knowing which is which. Some series find the male cartilages significantly larger; others find no significant difference at all.[1][5]
| Segment | Female | Male | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lateral crus, length | 16.8 mm | 19.7 mm | Korean[2] |
| Lateral crus, width | 9.8 mm | 10.5 mm | Korean[2] |
| Lateral crus, thickness | 0.54 mm | 0.55 mm | Korean[2] |
| Medial crus, columellar segment | 8.0 mm | 10.0 mm | Korean[2] |
| Medial crus, footplate segment | 6.3 mm | 7.8 mm | Korean[2] |
| Lateral crus, length | 15.3 ± 2.2 mm | same | Indian[1] |
| Lateral crus, width | 9.8 ± 1.5 mm | same | Indian[1] |
| Lateral crus, thickness | 0.92 ± 0.25 mm | same | Indian[1] |
| Domal segment, length | 3.7 ± 0.7 mm | same | Indian[3] |
| Middle-lateral crus angle | 103 ± 8° | same | Indian[3] |
Lower lateral cartilage dimensions. Korean figures are sex-specific; Indian figures are pooled across sexes (see note)
Where a series found no significant difference between the sexes, the value is pooled and shown once, marked same.
Where the lateral crus sits
How far the lateral crus sits back from the alar rim is the measurement with the loudest visual consequence, and it is invisible if the nose is treated as bone plus skin. The cartilage is the same size in both populations below; only its position changes.
| Population | Medial | Middle | Lateral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian[1] | 2.8 ± 0.8 mm | 4.6 ± 1.0 mm | 7.0 ± 1.4 mm |
| Korean[1] | 5.7 mm | 7.4 mm | 12.3 mm |
Distance from the lateral crus to the alar rim, medial to lateral
Seated lower (the Indian pattern), the same cartilage gives a fuller, fleshier alar wall. Seated higher (the Korean pattern), it gives a thinner, more defined rim. This is the dial that separates a fleshy nostril from a crisp one.
Sources
- Kasliwal & Belaldavar (2018). Anthropometric Overview of Lower Alar Cartilage: An Indian Perspective. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6224830/
- Anthropometric Study of Alar Cartilage in Asians (52 alar cartilages in 26 Koreans; sex-split length, width, thickness). exa.ai/library/publication/x51t6f7cyly
- Real-time per-operative assessment of the lower lateral nasal cartilage morphology (crus dimensions; middle-lateral crus angle). journals.lww.com/cmre/fulltext/2025/01000/real_time_per_operative_assessment_of_the_lower.2.aspx
- Research on Macroanatomic and Histologic Characteristics of the Lower Lateral Nasal Cartilages in Vietnamese (thickness, interdomal ligament, interdomal fat pad). oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/oamjms.2019.365
- Anthropometric measurements of alar cartilage in the Turkish population sample. www.springermedizin.de/anthropometric-measurements-of-alar-cartilage-in-the-turkish-pop/52067874
- Analysis of the Development of the Nasal Septum according to Age and Gender Using MRI (cartilaginous dorsal length; keystone overlap; septal areas). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2671753
- Development of the Nasal Septum and Measurement of the Harvestable Septal Cartilage Using 3D Facial Bone CT (septal cartilage area and its share of the septum). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3961615
- Miles et al. (2007). Anatomical variation of the nasal septum: analysis of 57 cadaver specimens. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. aao-hnsfjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/j.otohns.2006.11.047
- Nasal septum - structure, division into osseous and cartilaginous parts, ≈2 mm thickness. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_septum
- Lateral process of the nasal septal cartilage / upper lateral cartilage dimensions. IMAIOS e-Anatomy. www.imaios.com/en/e-anatomy/anatomical-structures/lateral-process-of-nasal-septal-cartilage-1536897660