Man with ‘penis on his face’ has his life transformed after chance meeting at work
A MAN with a ‘penis on his face’ has had his life transformed after a chance meeting at work.
Conrado Estrada had been hired to paint the house of surgeon Dr Thomas Romo.
But as soon as he walked through the door, the 62-year-old medic said he noticed there was something wrong with his face.
Dr Romo is the is the director of facial plastic reconstructive surgery at Romo Plastic Surgery in New York, US.
Because of his experience, he said he knew that Conrado, 58, had a condition called rhinophyma.
This is a progressive condition which causes thickened, pimpled and pitted skin at the tip of the nose.
The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) said that the condition is mainly seen in people who have rosacea, a rash that can affect the cheeks, forehead and nose.
It only usually develops in people who have had rosacea for many years and is most common in fair-skinned men aged 50-70.
The cause isn’t fully known, but Dr Romo said that Conrado had a ‘severe case’.
After talking to Conrado about his symptoms, Dr Romo learned that he had spent the last six years trying to get help from different doctors and skin specialists.
Conrado said that because of the condition, he struggled to eat and breathe, adding that people ‘stare at me’ all the time.
He previously told the New York Post: “They would stare at me. Children would ask their mothers what happened to me – and I would get around it by using a face mask all the time.
“It had reached my lips and whenever I took a bite when I ate, that would touch the spoon.
“I believe God sent an angel to take care of me – and that’s how I see Dr Romo,” he said.
Dr Romo told him that surgery could be performed to shrink the condition and said he would help him by giving him the surgery for free through his Little Baby Face Foundation.
The organisation provides free facial surgery to children in need, and Dr Romo said he wanted to extend this to Conrado.
In December 2021, Conrado was booked in for the operation which took three and a half hours.
Posting to Instagram, Dr Romo said that after removing the excess growth, he then reshaped the landscaper’s nose and applied sterile bandages.
Can rhinophyma be cured?
The British Association for Dermatologists (BAD) states that a diagnosis for rhinophyma is usually made based on the site involved and appearance of the skin.
If it’s unclear, then a dermatologist will take a small skin biopsy under local anaesthetic for examination under the microscope.
It can’t be cured, but there are treatments that are effective in controlling it, guidance states.
Depending on the severity of the condition, a doctor might advise the following:
- Dermabrasion: a device which uses a wire brush or a burr (a wheel with rough edges) which rotates rapidly and removes the upper layers of the skin. This effect can also be achieved with lasers.
- Electrosurgery and electrocautery: devices that deliver high frequency electrical currents that heat up and help remove excess tissue.
- Scalpel or razor blade excision: to remove excess tissue
The BAD adds that these treatment can be performed by dermatologists, plastic surgeons or ear nose and throat surgeons.
“There is no better satisfaction than being able use my specialty and skill to improve another person’s quality of life,” he said.
Speaking to Take 5 Magazine Dr Romo added that while there was a chance the glands might regrow a little, he certainly wouldn’t need active treatment for the next 50 years at least.
“One week after the operation, I gently began peeling back the bandages. The nurses held up a mirror so Conrado could see his new face for the first time.
“He was so shocked that he began crying,” he said.
Following the operation, Conrado joked that he could now go out in public and thanked Dr Romo for ‘changing his life’.
Within four weeks, Conrado was back at work and now ‘holds his head up high’, Dr Romo said.
However, he added that all patients must follow the post-operation care guide after any surgery.
He added that Conrado hadn’t avoided sun exposure, which had led to born hyperpigmentation on his nose, he said.
