Otophyma: a rare and frequently misdiagnosed entity

Otophyma is the term used for sebaceous gland hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the ear. It is usually the end stage of rosacea--a common, chronic, cutaneous disorder of unknown etiology. We hereby present a rare case of otophyma with its clinical features, its etiology, diagnosis, and review of medical and surgical therapy. This patient remained undiagnosed and mismanaged for many years before she was finally diagnosed with this rare condition and successfully managed by surgical technique. To our knowledge, this is the second case of otophyma presented in the otolaryngological literature.