Peel thoroughly the anatomy of the human nose from the outside to the inside

The nose is the olfactory organ located in the middle of the face. The body can get oxygen through the nasal organs that capture air. In addition to its function of capturing air, the nose also functions as a sense that can pick up smells and clean incoming outside air. So, do you know the anatomy of your nose? Here comes a complete overview of the parts of your nose.

Look at the anatomy of the nose and its function

Like other organs, the nose is an organ that has several parts. Each of these parts has its own important role, but they are interconnected so that the nose can work properly.

Come on, see the explanation of the parts of the nose and their roles below:

Parts of the Nostrils - Source: Britannica.com

1. External nose

The external nose, aka the outer nose, is a part of the anatomy of the nose that we can see directly by the eye.

The outer structure of the nose is composed of nasal bones, fat tissue, and cartilage, which is tissue that is denser than skin and muscle, but not as hard as ordinary bones. There is also muscle tissue that functions as a form of expression, for example when you wrinkle your nose.

At the very top of your nose is a nasal root , that is, the root that connects your nose to your forehead.

Well, the bottom of your nose is called apex. At the apex, you can see 2 separate holes which are called external nares. Through these two holes, air will enter to be carried deeper into the nasal cavity.

Apart from the nostrils, you can also feel a wall or bridge that separates the left and right parts of the nose. The separator is called septum. The septum in the human nose is made up of cartilage.

The septum of the human nose is ideally straight, so that it separates the left and right parts of the nose proportionally. However, not everyone has a perfectly straight septum. In fact, some have a bent septum, or what is known as a septal deviation.

2. Nasal cavity

After the air passes through the nostrils, it will enter the rice cavity. The nasal cavity is a cavity in the anatomy of your nose, which is also divided into several sections.

Nasal vestibule

The first part you will see is the nasal vestibule, which is the space directly behind the nose at the front.

The nasal vestibule is lined with epithelial tissue which has coarse hairs. This feather is also called nose hairs or cilia. Within this nasal vestibule, there are a large number of nasal hairs.

When there are large air particles, such as dust, sand, and even insects that enter the nostrils will be trapped in these hairs. Nasal hairs function to block foreign objects other than air from entering deeper into the nasal cavity.

Konka

After passing through the nasal vestibule and escaping from the nasal hairs, then air will enter the deeper nasal anatomy through a part called the konka.

Konka is an indentation in the inner nasal cavity and has 3 parts, namely superior (top), middle, and inferior (bottom).

In this nasal passage, the air will be processed and its temperature changed according to body temperature. Here too olfactory nerve or olfactory nerve located on the ceiling of the Konka will detect odors from the incoming air. These smell stimuli are then conveyed to the brain, until finally the brain concludes what smell is being smelled at that time.

After the air passes through the Konka, the air will be forwarded into the nasopharynx, which is the space that connects the nose and oral cavity. Then, air will enter other organs outside the nasal cavity, namely the larynx, trachea, until it is processed into the lungs.

3. Mucous membranes

The entire interior of your nose is covered by a thin tissue called a mucous membrane. The mucous membrane functions to regulate the temperature of the incoming air and moisturize the nose.

Well, another function of the mucous membrane is to produce mucus which you know as snot. The function of the mucus is to catch foreign objects that enter the nose.

Sometimes, the mucous membrane can be problematic, so it can't moisturize the nose properly, for example, like experiencing inflammation and swelling. As a result, you can be exposed to various kinds of nasal disorders, from nasal polyps, colds, to rhinitis.

4. Sinus

The sinuses are the cavities located near the nose. The holes that lead to the sinuses are also part of the structure of your nasal cavity.

The function of the sinuses is to relieve the load on the skull bones, play a role in the human voice, and produce mucus to moisturize the nose. Yes, there is also a mucous membrane that lines the inside of the sinus cavity.

When the sinuses become inflamed and swollen due to infection, the condition is known as sinusitis.

Other facts about the anatomy of your nose

The function of the nose as an organ of respiration and smell may not need to be debated. However, there are some other facts about the nose that you may not have had before. Curious? Here are the facts:

1. Your nose makes up your voice

You may not think that your nose also plays a role in shaping the sound that comes out when you speak or sing.

Indeed, sound is produced by the larynx, but only in the form of vibrations. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these vibrations are then reflected into the anatomy of the nose and sinuses, which is also called sound resonance.

2. The nose protects your body

From the previous explanation, you also noticed that the hairs and mucus inside the nose prevent foreign objects from entering. This helps to make the air we breathe cleaner and not contaminated with bacteria or viruses.

Not only does it maintain immunity, the olfactory function in the anatomy of the nose also protects you from danger, you know. We need our sense of smell to detect smoke, spoiled food, and other poisonous gases.

Unfortunately, sometimes your sense of smell can be impaired due to certain health conditions, so you have to be more careful. One type of olfactory disorder is known as anosmia, which is a condition when the nose is unable to properly smell odors.

3. Humans can detect nearly a trillion different scents

In the anatomy of the nose, there are about 12 million receptor cells on your olfactory nerve. These receptor cells function to recognize various kinds of odors.

When a scent enters the nose, these particles will enter the top of the nasal turkey, which is the place where the olfactory nerve lodges. Here, smells detected by olfactory receptors activate nerves to transmit signals to the brain. The combination of the various activated nerves registers each unique odor we can detect.