[Rhinophyma in a black African male patient]

Rhinophyma is an irregular and progressive nasal hypertrophy, due to hyperplasia and fibrosis of the sebaceous glands and surrounding soft tissues. Its etiology is unknown. Its psychosocial, functional, and esthetic consequences may be severe. It is rare in the black African population. We present a case of glandular rhinophyma in a 70-year-old black male patient.

A 70-year-old male patient consulted for nasal tumors. These lesions had appeared 11 years before, after rosacea acnea. The patient had no specific history, no alcohol addiction nor any particular treatment. The nose was voluminous. The tumors were located on the left nostril ala, the tip of the nose, and the tip and right nostril ala junction. The size of the pediculated lesions was variable. They covered most of the nostril opening and upper lip. Pressure forced out whitish, pasty, and fetid sebum. The lesions were an obstacle to nasal ventilation and feeding. This glandular rhinophyma was responsible for a severe social and affective handicap. It was treated by exeresis and simple closure, under local anesthesia. Operative follow-up was uneventful. No sign of relapse was noted at 20 months. The psychosocial, functional, and esthetic results were satisfactory.

The rhinophyma is a rare presentation in the black African or Afro-American population. Three cases have been reported so far.