Surgical treatment of rhinophyma: Retrospective monocentric study and literature review

Background: Treatment of rhinophyma consists primarily of destructive procedures. There is currently no consensus regarding treatment. In this study, we propose an algorithm based on a cohort of 25 patients and a literature review.

Patients and methods: This was a retrospective study conducted between January 2016 and December 2018. The cosmetic outcome was evaluated by 2 independent assessors based on pre- and postoperative photographs. Patients were ranked according to the severity (mild, moderate, severe) of their rhinophyma. The different surgical methods used were cold blade excision or rhinoshave, electrosurgery or monopolar diathermy knife (MDK), and carbon dioxide laser (CO₂ laser), either alone or in combination with another technique. All patients were contacted after the procedure to evaluate their satisfaction and to investigate for adverse effects.

Results: Twenty-five patients were included retrospectively: 7 with mild rhinophyma (5 were treated by MDK, 1 by fractional CO₂ laser, and 1 by cold-blade excision and TCA solution), 11 with moderate rhinophyma (2 were treated by MDK, 9 by continuous CO₂ laser), and 7 with severe rhinophyma (2 were treated by MDK, 5 by MDK plus CO₂ laser). Cosmetic outcomes were deemed good or excellent in 80% of cases, and 84% of patients were fully satisfied with the result. We observed 5 cases of hypertrophic scarring, 2 cases of hypopigmentation, 3 cases of notching of the nasal ala, and 7 cases of prolonged erythema, most of which were caused by the MDK technique.

Conclusion: A wide range of treatment options are available for rhinophyma. We suggest the use of cold-blade excision and trichloroacetic acid or fractional carbon dioxide laser for mild rhinophyma, continuous and pulsed CO₂ laser for moderate rhinophyma, and MDK for severe rhinophyma.