A recent segment on the daytime TV talk show “The Doctors” focuses on a patient with rhinophyma, the enlarged, bumpy nose associated with subtype 3 (phymatous) rosacea. Pamela, the patient in the segment, appears to have dealt with the bumps and pimples of subtype 2 (papulopustular) rosacea for most of her adult life. In the video she talks about how her condition worsened and began to affect her nose after the birth of her second child. Watch the video below to hear Pamela’s story and see her transformation after undergoing surgery to treat her rhinophyma. 

Phymatous rosacea is more common in men than women, and although the thickened skin and irregular surface nodules may affect other areas of the face, it is most often involves the nose. 

Mild cases may be treated with medications, but more severe cases of rhinophyma typically require surgery. A wide range of options are now available, including cryosurgery, radiofrequency ablation, electrosurgery tangential excision combined with scissor sculpting and skin grafting. A surgical laser may be used as a bloodless scalpel to remove excess tissue and recontour the nose, often followed by dermabrasion.