
If you or a loved one are looking for substance abuse treatment, help is available. Surgery, including laser treatment or dermabrasion, may be necessary to remove large bumps on the nose from rhinophyma if they interfere with breathing. Dermatology experts recommend anti-acne treatments, moisturizing your dry skin caused by rosacea, and using sunscreen lotions.
What Is Rosacea and How Is it Related to Rhinophyma?
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Rhinophyma exacerbated by heavy drinking can cause the cartilage cells to swell, resulting in a bulbous or “flared” appearance. So while drinking alcohol may not make your nose physically bigger, it can play a role in altering its appearance. Alcohol is a vasodilator, which means it increases blood flow to the skin’s surface, causing redness and inflammation.
- Surgical therapy, along with topical treatments, are incredibly effective for helping return the nose to its original shape without harming the bone and cartilage structures.
- While it can worsen symptoms, rhinophyma is mainly caused by rosacea, not alcohol.
- You might be familiar with a pervasive stereotype of alcoholics having a red face or a plump, bulbous kind of nose.
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For those already suffering from redness due to rosacea, alcohol can worsen this symptom. While it’s true that alcohol use may trigger rosacea flare-ups, this does not mean that every person with rosacea will automatically develop rhinophyma. It is an extreme side effect only experienced by a small percentage of people who suffer from rosacea. That being said, someone who already alcoholic nose has rhinophyma may find their condition is worsened by drinking alcohol.


Although rosacea itself is more common in women than men, the specific side effect of rhinophyma happens more often in men than women. Alcohol abuse can lead to serious health problems, so getting help is crucial if you think you or a loved one may have a problem. There are many treatment options available, and with the assistance of a medical professional, you can develop a plan that’s right for you. Fields, an early 20th-century American actor known for his heavy drinking, who called the bumps on his enlarged nose “gin blossoms”.

