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"Exploring Surgical Techniques for Rhinophyma: A Detailed Analysis of Cases"
Theodora Ligomenou1, Eirini Nikolaidou1, Argyro Pipinia1
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery & Burn ICU, G. Papanikolaou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece, gpapanikolaou.gr.
None:
"Rhinophyma" comes from the Greek words "rhis," meaning nose, and "phyma," meaning growth, which reflects its clinical presentation; overgrowth of sebaceous glands results in disfigurement or even nasal obstruction, in more severe cases. Nonsurgical treatments are the standard care, with dermabrasion, laser therapy, and ablative treatments being the most commonly preferred options. For advanced or recurrent cases, surgical intervention is the gold standard. Various surgical techniques have been described, including skin grafts, flaps, and skin substitutes. Surprisingly, there are only a few case reports in the literature regarding the surgical management of rhinophyma. We present two cases of severe and recurrent rhinophyma treated surgically in one stage procedure under local anesthesia by two different surgical techniques, one flap reconstruction and one dermal substitute and split-thickness skin graft reconstruction. Both patients had breathing difficulties, which were resolved after the surgical intervention. No major complications were detected during the 2 years of follow-up. Patients were satisfied with the aesthetic and functional outcomes. The surgical approach of rhinophyma should be the standard of care for recurrent cases or cases with nasal obstruction. Different surgical techniques have been described. As long as surgical planning is concerned, it is essential to consider practical and clinical factors such as patient's preferences, one or more stages of reconstruction, healing time, safety, and recurrence rates.

