Thank you for helping me rejoin the human race

Alan’s nose made him feel like the ’elephant man’ and want to hide away.. until a laser doctor removed enlarged blood vessels and gave him his life back

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

A DAD who felt like "the elephant man" is looking forward to celebrating Christmas properly for the first time in years after a radical operation transformed his face.

Alan Findlay, 56, had been hiding away since he developed rhinophyma, a severe skin condition affecting the nose which causes bulbous, swollen blood vessels.

His condition had become so bad that he stayed at home alone rather than going to his stepson's last Christmas Day because his self confidence was so poor.

Alan has always had the skin condition rosacea, which causes flushing and visible blood vessels.

But on rare occasions it can develop into the more severe rhinophyma, in which the skin thickens and glands become enlarged, leading to creases and excess flesh around the nose.