Rhinophyma: Our experience based on a series of 12 cases

Introduction: Rhinophyma is a rare, benign and unsightly disease of the skin of the nose that was first described a very long time ago, as illustrated by portrait of an old man with a bulbous nose holding his grandson, by Ghirlandaio in 1490. It was described for the first time by Ferdinando Hebra Von (1816-1880), as the third stage of rosacea. The objective of this study is to report the author's experience and propose a new treatment option in the management of rhinophyma.

Material and methods: We describe our experience of rhinophyma based on a retrospective case study.

Results: We identified 12 cases over a 12-year period, with a marked male predominance. The therapeutic approach was the same in all patients, consisting of a combination of dermabrasion, decortication and application of fibrin glue, with a favourable outcome in every case with complete epithelialisation.

Conclusion: Rhinophyma is a rare condition of uncertain pathophysiology. Management is surgical and, in view of the many techniques and procedures proposed, we advocate the slogan "to each his own technique", until a consensus has been reached. Our technique combining dermabrasion, decortication and application of fibrin glue has given very good results.