Rhinophyma

Abstract

Rhinophyma, a descriptive term derived from the Greek ('rhis' - nose and 'phyma' - growth), is used to identify the florid overgrowth and hypertrophy of the tip of the nose, often with hypervascularity and nodularity, that is associated in the popular mind with the abuse of alcohol. An invalid association, it nevertheless has been a persistent one, and relief from this stigma is frequently the primary goal of those patients seeking correction of mild to moderate degrees of deformity. Although often divided and subclassified in the medical literature, this entity represents a spectrum of deformity not clearly demarcated, which is likewise best treated by a spectrum of treatments, no one of which is always best. Treatment, nevertheless, requires an understanding of the pathogenesis and findings at any particular stage in order to successfully limit the progression of the disease with a minimum of complications.