Rhinophyma means “nose growth” in Greek. This disfiguring nasal deformity happens when the oil glands under your nose skin and underlying connective tissues overdevelop. A bulbous growth appears on the nose with reddish coloring and excess oil glands. The nasal skin may thicken and take on a waxy or yellowish appearance. While rhinophyma can be unsightly and cause mental distress, it can be treated with rhinophyma surgery by our board-certified plastic surgeon.
Mune Gowda, MD, FACS, has helped many people adjust their nose appearance with rhinophyma treatment. At the top of his field, Dr. Gowda has fostered an excellent reputation in Southeast Michigan and uses the latest techniques to achieve a natural-looking nose shape with rhinophyma surgery.
What Causes Rhinophyma?
Researchers once believed rhinophyma was caused by excessive alcohol consumption, which led to nicknames like “gin blossom” and “whiskey nose.” However, doctors now understand this nose growth occurs equally in people who don’t drink alcohol and those who drink regularly and to excess. Rhinophyma is more likely to develop in men and people with vitamin B deficiencies, taking steroid hormones, with parasitic mites, or who struggle with chronic alcoholism.
While alcohol may not be a valid cause of rhinophyma, it may worsen the condition. Rosacea is often a precursor to rhinophyma, and this skin condition also worsens with alcohol use. Some researchers think rhinophyma is a severe form of rosacea.
Rhinophyma can cause mental distress from the disfigurement as the nose is the most noticeable facial feature. The overgrowth of sebaceous glands and thickening of the tissues can affect your visual field and obstruct the external valves, causing breathing issues. Rhinophyma treatment is necessary to address these concerning symptoms and provide a more natural-looking nose shape.
Rhinophyma Surgery
Rhinophyma correction may excise the skin growth and replace it with a skin graft, but Dr. Gowda believes the best results are seen with another surgical technique in which he removes the skin with a surgical blade and reshapes the nose. Dr. Gowda prefers the loop cautery method for rhinophyma surgery because he can create a new nasal shape using the rhinophyma tissue. This cautery technique leads to less bleeding, a faster recovery, and aesthetically pleasing results.
Dr. Gowda performs rhinophyma correction at our fully accredited outpatient surgical facility. The surgery takes around one hour, with an initial recovery period of 10 to 14 days.
If you struggle with disfiguring rhinophyma, contact Gowda, MD & Associates to schedule a consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon. Call our office in Novi, Michigan, at (248) 305-8400 or Troy, Michigan, at (248) 530-0000.