The Nasal Skeleton

The Nasal Skeleton
The nasal skeleton is a combination of bone and cartilage which forms both what we
can see as the external nose and the internal nasal septum – which divides the two
nasal cavities of the head.
Here we will discuss the anatomy of the nasal skeleton and its component bones.



Anatomical Structure
The skeleton of the nose is formed by three types of tissue; bone, cartilage and fibro-
fatty tissue. When looking at the sca olding of the nose, it is useful to divide the
structures into two parts; the external nasal skeleton and internal nasal septum.

External Nasal Skeleton




Figure 1 – Lateral view of the external nasal skeleton

The external skeleton extends the nasal cavities onto the front of the face (see Figure
1). It is partly formed by the nasal and maxillary bones, which are situated superiorly.
The inferior portion of the nose is made up of hyaline cartilages; lateral, major alar,
minor alar, and the cartilaginous septum. The lateral and major alar cartilages are the
largest, and contribute the most to the shape of the nose here. The minor alar
cartilages vary in number, there are usually 3 or 4 on each side.