Types of Noses: 9 Common Nose Shapes and How to Tell Yours

Have you ever looked at a nose shape chart and still not been sure which one is yours? That's common. Most real noses are a mix, and photos taken at the wrong angle make it harder.

Hello, I'm Dr. Choi Hang-seok, Head Surgeon at TIANA Plastic Surgery in Gangnam, Seoul. TIANA performs only rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty, and I handle each patient one-to-one, from consultation through surgery, anesthesia and aftercare. This guide walks through the types of noses, how to tell yours, and what surgery can and can't change for each one.

What are the 9 common types of noses?

Here is the overview. Find the row that sounds closest to the feature you notice in the mirror.

Nose type	What it looks like	Main layer behind it	What surgery usually involves
Straight	Even line from forehead to tip	Balanced bone and cartilage	Often nothing; sometimes small tip work
Roman (hooked)	A bump on the bridge in profile	Bone and cartilage hump	Hump reduction, sometimes osteotomy
Bulbous	Round, wide tip	Spread tip cartilage, thick skin	Tip surgery with cartilage support
Button	Small, short, slightly rounded	Short septum, small tip	Usually left alone; length if wanted
Upturned	Tip points up, nostrils show from the front	Tip position and support	Septal extension graft
Wide (Nubian)	Wide base and nostrils	Wide nostril base, flared alar	Alar base reduction, tip support
Low or flat bridge	Little height between the eyes	Low bridge bone and cartilage	Bridge augmentation (implant or cartilage)
Crooked	Bridge or tip leans to one side	Nasal bone, septum or tip cartilage	Osteotomy, septum straightening
Droopy tip	Tip hangs down, worse when smiling	Weak tip support, long septum	Tip support, sometimes septum shortening

Example case (bulbous tip, short nose): side profile before surgery (left) and 3 months after (right). Procedures: silicone bridge implant, tip with septal and donor rib cartilage, bulbous tip refinement, short-nose correction, osteotomy, columella and nasolabial angle adjustment. Results vary between individuals; swelling, bruising, asymmetry and infection are possible risks. Shared with the patient's consent.

What is my nose shape? How to tell from photos

The most reliable way to work out your nose shape is a set of photos, not a single selfie. Use daylight and keep the camera level with your face.

• Front view: is the bridge centered, how wide is it, how round is the tip, can you see your nostrils?
• 45-degree views: how the bridge line runs into the tip
• Side profile: any bump on the bridge, the height between the eyes, the angle where the tip meets the upper lip
• From below: nostril width, shape and any difference between the two sides

A front camera held close makes the middle of the face look bigger, and a mirror flips left and right. Compare a few photos before deciding. Which 5 photos to send for a rhinoplasty consultation shows the angles in detail.

Each nose type: what causes it and what can change

Straight nose

A straight nose runs in an even line from the forehead to the tip, with no clear bump or dip. Many people with a straight bridge still notice something else, such as a round tip or wide nostrils, so the "type" can sit alongside another one.

Roman or hooked nose

A Roman nose has a bump on the bridge, seen best from the side. The bump is made of bone and cartilage; it isn't because the nose is "too high." Small humps can be smoothed. Larger ones often need an osteotomy as well, because shaving the bump can leave the bridge looking wide from the front. Hump nose surgery and when it's worth fixing explains the trade-offs.

Bulbous nose

A bulbous nose has a round, wide tip. Two causes usually overlap: the tip cartilages sit far apart, and the skin over the tip is thick. Cartilage can be reshaped and supported; thick skin limits how fine the tip can become. Read more in bulbous nose causes and how tip surgery refines it, or see TIANA's bulbous nose page.

Button nose

A button nose is small and short with a softly rounded tip. Many people like this shape and keep it. When someone wants more length or definition, the work usually focuses on tip support rather than making the nose bigger overall.

Upturned nose

An upturned nose points up at the tip, so the nostrils show from the front. A slight upturn can suit many faces; a strong one can make the nose look short. Bringing the tip down usually needs a septal extension graft to build new support. Upturned nose causes and how septal extension helps covers it.

Wide or Nubian nose

A wide nose, often called a Nubian nose, has a broad base and wide nostrils, often with a lower bridge. Alar base reduction narrows the nostrils, and tip support can add definition. The aim is balance with your face, not removing your ethnic features. Ethnic rhinoplasty: what it is and who it suits and alar base reduction scars and recovery go further.

Low or flat bridge

A low bridge has little height between the eyes, so the nose looks flat in profile. Height comes from bridge augmentation with a silicone implant or cartilage. How high it can safely go depends mostly on skin thickness, which is explained in how high a Korean nose bridge can go. A wide-looking bridge is sometimes simply a low one; see wide nose bridge: bone, skin or low bridge.

Crooked nose

A crooked nose leans to one side from the front. The cause can be the nasal bones, the septum (the wall inside the nose) or the tip cartilage, and often more than one. A blocked side when breathing usually points to the septum. Crooked nose surgery: causes and limits explains which layer is usually responsible.

Droopy tip

A droopy tip hangs downward and often drops further when you smile. It usually comes from weak tip support or a long septum. Surgery strengthens the support so the tip sits at a better angle, sometimes with a small change to the septum.

Is there an ideal nose shape?

Search for "the perfect nose" and you'll find angles and ratios. In consultation I care more about balance than numbers. The same bridge height looks different with a strong forehead than with a flat one, and the right tip angle depends on your lips and chin.

Doctor's note

Many patients tell me "I have a bulbous nose" when the tip is only part of the story. Often the bridge is low, which makes the tip look bigger than it is. That's why I look for the layer that causes the shape before I think about the name. I check with 3D-CT before deciding what to change.

There is also no single "Korean nose" or "Western nose" that suits everyone. Korean nose job: who it suits, decided by nose type explains how I match the plan to the nose in front of me.

What if my nose is more than one type?

Most noses are. These combinations come up often in my consultations:

• Low bridge + bulbous tip: the low bridge makes the round tip stand out more
• Roman + wide bridge: removing the bump can leave the bridge looking wider from the front
• Upturned + wide nostrils: visible nostrils make the base look bigger
• Crooked + blocked breathing: a bent septum affects both shape and airflow

When types overlap, changing only one feature can make the other more noticeable. The order of the work is decided from photos and examination together.

Recovery and risks of changing your nose shape

Whatever the type, the stitch schedule at TIANA is similar. The splint and outer stitches usually come off around day 7, and the stitches inside the nose around day 14. Plan 7 to 14 nights in Seoul, and at least 7. If you fly home around day 7, you leave with a referral letter and a surgery certificate so a local doctor can remove the inner stitches. Swelling and bruising settle at a pace that varies between people.

Possible risks include:

• Swelling and bruising, especially around the eyes after osteotomy
• Asymmetry, either remaining from before or new
• Contracture or visible edges, mainly when implants or grafts are used
• Infection; contact the clinic quickly if redness, swelling or pain keeps increasing

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists the general risks of rhinoplasty. More articles are in all Korean rhinoplasty articles.

Summary

• The nine common types of noses are straight, Roman (hooked), bulbous, button, upturned, wide (Nubian), low bridge, crooked and droopy tip.
• Each shape comes from bone, cartilage and skin; the same label can have different causes.
• Tell your nose shape with front, 45-degree, side and from-below photos, not a single selfie.
• No single shape suits every face; balance with the forehead, lips and chin matters more.
• Most noses combine two or more types, which changes the order of any surgery.

Not sure which type your nose is? Send five photos on WhatsApp (front, both 45-degree angles and both side profiles). You'll get a reply in English on the shape it's closest to and what could change. If you'd like to share your surgery history first, use the photo consultation and booking form. You can read about the surgeon on Dr. Choi Hang-seok's profile.