Why can lepromatous leprosy damage the nose and palate?

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Sign reading Gandhiji Prem Nivas Leprosy Centre Titagarh conducted by Missionaries of Charity, with a crucifix above the sign on a decorated building facade. — leprosy The Gandhiji Prem Nivas is a center for people with leprosy that was established by Mother Teresa in 1958 and is run by the Missionaries of Charity in Titagarh, India.

In lepromatous leprosy, the body fails to mount an effective cellular immune response, allowing the leprosy bacillus to multiply freely and in enormous numbers within the deep layers of the skin.1

These organisms spread widely through the lymphatic channels and frequently affect the face. Because the nose becomes teeming with these bacilli, the infection can lead to the formation of soft nodules that erode into discharging sores. This process of bacterial proliferation and subsequent tissue erosion is what causes the destruction of the nasal septum and the palate.1