If you have rosacea and struggle with alcohol use, you might be putting yourself at risk of experiencing more severe side effects of rosacea. When rhinophyma is severe enough, an individual can have trouble breathing. This occurs when the skin of the nose has become bulbous enough to constrict the natural airways of the nose.
There is a misconception that being an alcoholic will cause you to form a bulbous and red nose. That nose, sometimes called “drinker’s nose” or “alcohol nose” is actually known as rhinophyma, a side effect of rosacea. However, it’s important to note that excessive alcohol consumption can certainly worsen rosacea in general and rhinophyma in those individuals who alcoholic nose have this condition. Alcohol is a vasodilator, which means it enlarges the blood vessels and causes the skin to flush. This increased blood flow to the facial skin can cause this condition to flare up and worsen over time. “Alcoholic nose,” or drinker’s nose, is a skin condition commonly identified by a red, bumpy, or swollen appearance of the nose and cheeks.
Is Rhinophyma Caused By Alcoholism?
There are several treatment options available for individuals struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction, including inpatient and outpatient treatment programs. What is commonly called “alcoholic nose” is actually a skin condition called rhinophyma (Greek for “nose growth”). Rhinophyma is in a category of skin conditions known as rosacea, which causes chronic inflammation of the skin. This chronic inflammation is caused by broken blood vessels and sores on or around the nose, causing it to appear red, swollen, and bumpy.
It’s hard to say when exactly this condition became linked with heavy alcohol use, but stereotypes in popular media have kept this connection alive. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
Alcoholic Nose, Nose Redness, and Rhinophyma
If you or a loved one are in search of treatment services for alcohol use disorder, help is available. This is a very common skin condition that tends to emerge for weeks or months at a time. Though the causes of rhinophyma are unknown, it’s thought to be a severe form of a skin disease called rosacea. To find a treatment program, browse the top-rated addiction treatment facilities in each state by visiting our homepage, or by viewing the SAMHSA Treatment Services Locator. The shoulders and chest are also susceptible to looking more flushed or red after drinking alcohol.
As it turns out, drinking alcohol (even in excessive amounts) has not been proven to directly cause rosacea. In many cases, “alcoholic nose” is used to describe the most severe, end-stage form of rosacea, known as rhinophyma. Rhinophyma causes the nose to become even more disfigured due to the progressive dilation of the nasal vessels as well as the involvement of cysts and pustules. Surgical treatment can remove tissue overgrowth, reshape disfigured noses, and minimize the appearance of enlarged blood vessels. It may be completed with a scalpel, laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, or via cryosurgery.
Available treatments
The condition tends to affect fair-skinned, middle-aged women more often, but anyone of any age or skin tone can develop the condition. There are currently no cures for rosacea, but there are options available to treat specific symptoms. If there are other underlying issues or complications, the redness may not go away if you stop drinking, and you may wish to see a doctor.
- You set your own personal goal, and we help you achieve it with coaching, medication, and other tools and resources.
- Like rhinophyma, rosacea can affect anyone including those individuals who have darker skin as well as children and teens.
- Our accredited mental health facility offers numerous therapeutic methods in an inpatient setting to address mental illness and substance abuse.
- Due to this, the idea that alcoholism could cause rhinophyma held up for many years.
- With that being said, alcohol in moderation can still cause issues, such as arrests due to drunken driving or injuries caused by falls.
Notably, it should not be assumed that someone with this condition suffers from alcohol use disorder. There are several symptoms that can come as a result of alcohol abuse and addiction, one of them being alcoholic nose, or rhinophyma. This skin condition can be a red flag that someone is abusing alcohol and can also cause the person great self-consciousness due to how it manifests on the face. In this article, we explore what alcoholic nose is, what causes it, and how this condition is commonly treated.
How Rosacea And Alcohol Abuse Lead To Drinker’s Nose
When blood vessels burst, it makes the blood visible under the surface of the skin, leading to skin redness. In more severe cases, the nose and cheeks can take on a purple hue and start to become severely disfigured as they become more bulbous. Springbrook Behavioral Hospital is a 66 bed inpatient mental health facility located in Hernando County.
Several factors have been found to contribute to the development of rhinophyma, including a genetic predisposition to rosacea and ethnicity. Although physicians proved that alcohol abuse does not cause rosacea or rhinophyma, it can actually aggravate the condition. Nearly two out of three patients with rosacea will experience flare-ups when they drink alcohol.
https://ecosoberhouse.com/, or drinker’s nose, is an informal term that refers to an enlarged purple nose that is thought to be caused by chronic alcohol abuse. Learn more about drinker’s nose and if drinking alcohol can affect the features of the face. While several of these terms are related to drinking alcohol, the reality is that alcohol abuse is not considered a cause of rhinophyma. Rather, drinker’s nose is actually a condition stemming from rosacea, a chronic skin disorder that causes visibly red or swollen skin and sometimes bumps or acne-like conditions. Therefore, when severe rosacea spreads to the nose, it is termed rhinophyma (literally meaning “nose swelling”).