[Rhinophyma in rosacea. What does surgery achieve?]

[A systematic review and current recommendation for treatment of rhinophyma]

Rhinophyma is a benign disease involving the skin of the nose, which is characterized by skin thickening and hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands and connective tissue. It occurs predominantly by Caucasians in their fifth to seventh life decades and is 12-30 times more likely to affect males. The etiology and pathogenesis of Rhinophyma remains unclear, however it is generally stated to be the final stage of rosacea. A causative relationship between rhinophyma and alcohol consumption has not yet been proven. This review highlights the treatment options of rhinophyma. Surgery is gold standard for management of advanced rhinophyma. Each technique has pros and cons, but using surgical instruments with monopolar energy as loop and ball electrode seem to combine several goals best - first of all simultaneous removal and hemostasis followed by nasal contour refinement. Due to possible coincidence of skin cancer such as a basal- or squamous cell carcinoma, histopathological examination of all removed tissue is recommended.

Acne in the first three decades of life: An update of a disorder with profound implications for all decades of life

Acne vulgaris is a chronic, inflammatory, skin condition that involves the pilosebaceous follicles and is influenced by a variety of factors including genetics, androgen-stimulation of sebaceous glands with abnormal keratinization, colonization with Cutibacterium acnes (previously called Propionibacterium acnes), and pathological immune response to inflammation. Acne can occur at all ages and this discussion focuses on the first three decades of life. Conditions that are part of the differential diagnosis and/or are co-morbid with acne vulgaris are also considered. Acne in the first year of life includes neonatal acne (acne neonatorum) that presents in the first four weeks of life and infantile acne that usually presents between 3 and 6 months of the first year of life with a range of 3 to 16 months after birth. Acne rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory, skin condition that is distinct from acne vulgaris, typically presents in adults, and has four main types: erythemato-telangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous and ocular. Treatment options for acne vulgaris include topical retinoids, topical benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics (topical, oral), oral contraceptive pills, isotretinoin, and others. Management must consider the increasing impact of antibiotic resistance in the 21st century. Psychological impact of acne can be quite severe and treatment of acne includes awareness of the potential emotional toll this disease may bring to the person with acne as well as assiduous attention to known side effects of various anti-acne medications (topical and systemic). Efforts should be directed at preventing acne-caused scars and depigmentation on the skin as well as emotional scars within the person suffering from acne.

Physical modalities for the treatment of rosacea

Rosacea is characterised by a wide variety of vascular changes. Apart from telangiectasia and erythema, often so-called flushing occurs. These vascular abnormalities can be targeted with specific light and laser devices. In addition to KTP laser, pulsed dye laser (PDL) and Nd:YAG laser, also intense pulsed light devices (IPLs) are used. The described therapeutic effects include the reduction of vascular abnormalities and even improvement of papulopustular changes. While the KTP laser shows very good results in telangiectasia, the dye laser and IPL devices are used preferably in erythema. The Nd:YAG laser is also a possibility for patients with telangiectasia and erythema. However, compared to the other laser and light devices the Nd:YAG laser carries the highest risk of unpredictable scarring. Phymatous changes are another clinical manifestation of rosacea, mostly affecting the nose (rhinophyma). Moderate and severe cases are commonly treated with ablation modalities. Traditional surgery is a treatment option, but is often associated with major intraoperative bleeding. Alternative methods include electrosurgery and dermabrasion, although both methods can cause scarring. Newer methods such as CO₂ laser ablation, possibly in combination with the erbium:YAG laser, are safe alternatives with a lower risk of complications.

Physikalische Methoden zur Behandlung der Rosazea

Die Rosazea ist durch vielfältige vaskuläre Veränderungen gekennzeichnet. Neben Teleangiektasien und Erythemen treten häufig auch sogenannte "Flushings" auf. Haupteinsatzgebiete von Licht- und Lasersystemen sind diese vaskulären Veränderungen, wie Erytheme und Teleangiektasien. Neben dem KTP-Laser, dem Farbstofflaser (PDL) und dem Nd:YAG-Laser kommen auch Blitzlampen (IPL) zum Einsatz. Neben der Rückbildung der vaskulären Komponente, ist auch eine Verbesserung der papulopustulösen Komponente beschrieben. Während der KTP-Laser sehr gute Ergebnisse bei Teleangiektasien zeigt, werden der Farbstofflaser und die Blitzlampen bevorzugt bei flächigen Erythemen eingesetzt. Der ND:YAG-Laser kann bei Teleangiektasien und Erythemen eingesetzt werden, birgt aber von allen Systemen das nicht einschätzbare Narbenbildungsrisiko in sich. Die Bildung von Phymen stellt eine klinische Ausprägung der Rosazea dar. Das am häufigsten vorkommende ist das Rhinophym. Bei moderaten und schweren Formen steht die Abtragung im Vordergrund. Die klassische chirurgische Abtragung stellt eine Möglichkeit zur Behandlung dar, häufig kommt es hierbei jedoch intraoperativ zu stärkeren Blutungen. Alternativmethode ist die Elektrochirurgie und die Dermabrasion, wobei bei beiden Methoden Narbenbildungen auftreten können. Neuere Methoden wie die CO₂ -Laserabtragung, eventuell in Kombination mit der Erbium:YAG-Abtragung, stellen sichere und komplikationsärmere Varianten dar.

Rosacea: pathophysiology and management principles

This article presents an overview of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical presentations of rosacea. It also presents the therapeutic spectrum for effective management of this challenging and often confusing clinical entity.

Management of severe rhinophyma with sculpting surgical decortication

Rhinophyma, a progressive, disfiguring disease of the nose, is considered the final stage of acne rosacea. In its early stages, rhinophyma can be managed with medical treatment using isotretinoin or oral antibiotics (metronidazole). However, severe cases usually are refractory to medical approaches. Surgical therapies to treat these severe refractory cases have been described. This report describes a simple, safe, efficient, and cost-effective approach to the treatment of severe rhinophyma using a scalpel and the electroscalpel, instruments readily available in every operating room.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V

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