08/09/2022
Rhinophyma is a type of rosacea that can affect the nose. It is progressive and disfiguring, and when it is severe, CANNOT be reversed with topical creams such as metronidazole, clindamycin, azelaic acid, and ivermectin. It also CANNOT be reversed with oral medications such as doxycycline, minocycline, and isotretinoin (Accutane), although these can be effective to slow disease progression, if they are started early enough.
My patient presented to me with advanced rhinophyma that had profoundly altered the shape of his nose. Although he is a jovial guy, this was negatively impacting his quality of life. I first debulked the overgrown, highly sebaceous tissue with a fully ablative CO2 laser, then used a small spot size on a blended fully ablative erbium/COP2 laser to finely contour and sculpt his nose back to its normal shape. He was fully healed in about a month, and is now restored to his handsome self!
