BACKGROUND: Rhinophyma is an end stage of acne rosacea. It results in a large nose due to a proliferation of sebaceous glands and fibrous tissue. Many cases of rhinophyma have been reported in the Western world; however, in Japan, rhinophyma has been an uncommon disease. METHODS: We present two patients associated with rhinophyma who were treated by cross-shaped full-thickness excision followed by direct closure and compare the rhinophyma in Japan with that in the West. RESULTS: To date, only 20 rhinophyma cases including our 2 cases have been reported in Japan. Epidemiologic factors of rhinophyma between the West and Japan do not differ except for location, malignancy and surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In Japan, almost all cases are located on the lower half of the nose, treated by full-thickness excision followed by application of either skin grafts or direct closure. None have been malignant.
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Furukawa et al. (1994) studied this question.
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