Guest guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 Dear Marjorie, You're right that most women will not progress to severe rhinophyma, but mild rhinophyma is no picnic either. I have a confirmed diagnosis of mild-stage rhinophyma by Dr. Alan Shalita -- one of the world's leading dermatologists and an expert on accutane. If you are interested in him, just do a search on the Internet. My rhinophyma is hereditary and is characterized by enlargement of the sebaceous glands and pores. When my nose began swelling in January 2002, my pores also began to enlarge and produce more oil (I'm talking a tremendous increase in oil). This happened very quickly. My nose would also burn and pulsate. There were mornings when I truly looked disfigured. There are many variants of rhinophyma, as both Dr. Nase and Dr. Plewig describe in their books. My nose is now substantially different than it was when the swelling and growth began, but accutane and V-Beam have seemed to stop the progression of the disease. Rhinophyma also has vascular and lymphatic components, making it a complex disorder. Dr. Nase talks about frequent flushing/flaring as triggering the sebaceous gland to overact and kick-in. Again, this is rare, but it did happen to me. My face would get very flushed after kickboxing or hot compresses, although previously I had never been a flusher. My mother also has rhinophyma, but it started much later in life for her. She is 60 years old and has severely over active sebaceous glands and nose enlargement. Luckily, most women will not get rhinophyma, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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