What Parts of the Body Keep Growing As a Person Ages?
There is evidence that the cranial bones, pelvic bones and ear cartilage continue to grow into adulthood. It is believed that all other body parts stop growing when one reaches maturity.
According to The Guardian, multiple studies have confirmed that ears, which are largely made up of cartilage, continue to grow well into old age. While continued ear growth occurs in both men and women, men’s ears are significantly larger on average than women’s ears. The rate of growth overall is estimated at about a half-inch during a 50-year period.
The sagging appearance of the face as people age was once thought to be solely due to the sagging of the soft tissue structures of the face, namely skin, cartilage and other connective tissues. According to Duke University, research has shown that the bones of the face continue to grow as human beings age and that this may be the cause of some of the facial changes related to aging. This phenomenon presents itself to a greater degree in women than in men.
Other research indicates that the body continues to grow wider even after the skeleton has stopped growing taller. According to the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, the bones of the pelvis, or hip bone, continue to grow into old age as well. The average growth between the ages of 20 and 79 was observed to be about 1 inch.
