For many men their large noses that they developed in adulthood are not a sign of alcoholism and yet many who are afflicted with this unusual form of adult acne rosacea carry such a  social stigmata. In addition to being self-conscious,  rhinophyma also interferes  with their quality of life by interfering with their nasal breathing.
Dr. Shelton, who is an  associate clinical professor and teaches Cosmetic Dermatologic surgery at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NYC says this occurs when the oil glands enlarge and cysts develop that distend the skin making it large, loose and often floppy, obstructing  the nasal openings and /or the internal nasal breathing passages.
Rhinophyma is treatable in many cases by a one hour in-office resurfacing procedure . In the course of more than 25 years, Dr. Shelton has used several different cosmetic dermalogical surgical procedures to treat rhinophyma including surgical removal, dermabrasion, and  carbon dioxide laser resurfacing. By far,  the best results he has seen have been obtained in the last few years by treating his patients at the Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York with Radiofrequency Resurfacing for Rhinophyma.
The skin usually heals over the course of two weeks but can take more than four weeks to fully reepithelialize. Fine tuning is often done starting a month or two to improve the red color or texture of the acne scars or pores with the use of lasers. Many are back to their normal activities in a few weeks.
The emotional transformation for patients undergoing the R3 procedure is often quite significant and Dr Shelton says that he is so heart-warmed to see the elation in his patients and their family members.
Dr. Shelton consults with and performs the treatment on his patients  himself and discusses the risks which include but are not limited to infection and scarring.  He often says, “ I may Improve but can’t Remove scars.” Dr. Shelton is so happy to be able to help his patients who have rhinophyma.
