1. A disease caused by decreased activity of the thyroid gland in adults and characterized by dry skin, swellings around the lips and nose, mental deterioration, and a subnormal basal metabolic rate.
2. A dry, waxy type of swelling (nonpitting edema) with abnormal deposits of mucin (complex protein present in mucus) in the skin (mucinosis, condition in which mucin is present in the skin in excessive amounts, or in abnormal distribution) and other tissues, associated with hypothyroidism.

The facial changes are distinctive, with swollen lips and thickened nose.