Skin Conditions FAQs

Any scar can be hard to treat. Some peels and bleaching agents can be helpful to lighten the scar.

Most likely theses spots are sun spots. They are flat and darker than your normal skin color. They will vary in size. They won’t have any scaling. Borders are round. They are uniform in color. Ones to be concerned about:
1. Irregular borders,
2. Within the same spot there is an area that is much darker,
3. Sudden change in color, size or shape.

The freckles on my face multiplied and have now formed what looks like a very large freckle, while I was pregnant, and it didn’t go away. What is this and is there anything I can do? What you are describing sounds like melasma which is a unique pigment condition that is hormone driven. Melasma, once activated, is unfortunately not curable and can only be controlled. Lasers such as the Fraxel refine can be beneficial up to a certain point but they do run the risk of increasing the pigment. You can try Cosmalan, which bleaches the pigment, or other bleaching agents that contain Hydroquinone.

Birth control pills can help acne or worsen acne, it’s a mixed response. Some birth control pills have progesterone compounds that are androgenic and some have progesterone compounds that are anti-androgenic. Androgen hormones are the leading cause of acne, so birth control pills with progesterone compounds that are androgenic are more likely to cause acne. 

That sound like something you should have a doctor look at. It could be sun damage or it could be a precancerous or cancerous change.

I have gotten a lotion from a family member that uses it for eczema. Would the same lotion work on my plaque psoriasis? You really shouldn’t share lotions and creams of family or friends. However, the steroid lotions we use for eczema also work on psoriasis.

My neck is full of little moles that itch, sometimes become irritating, and are unsightly. What can I have done to eliminate them? It depends on what kind of spots that you have. They may be moles, or they may be some spots that look like moles called skin tags. Skin tags are a brown colored thickening in the skin. Both can be easily removed after a consultation with a doctor, but a mole might need to be sent to a lab for cell analysis to make sure it is not cancerous.

I have mild to moderate adult acne, but my skin tends to be very dry. I tried Retin-A, and it made my skin peel terribly! What other topical OTC or RX options are available to help manage my breakouts? Benzoyl Peroxide is a time tested OTC drug for mild to moderate acne. This can cause some irritation. Use a lower concentration like 2.5% or 5%. Higher strength is not necessary for good results. Another option, if Retin-A is too harsh for your skin, is to try glycolic and salicylic acid products for exfoliation.

Unfortunately, no. Pregnancy awakens melasma, and melasma unfortunately do not disappear. They may fade a little bit after pregnancy, but you will find that you will need to continually treat/suppress them with lasers and/or bleaching agents. There is no known cure, only treatments to manage melasma.

Morphea is a skin condition that causes reddish or purplish patches on your skin. Morphea is a localized form of scleroderma, a condition that can cause a wide variety of problems, from skin discoloration to difficulty with the normal function of joints, muscles, and other connective tissues. Morphea has no known cure. Treatment of morphea focuses on controlling the signs and symptoms and slowing its spread. Because morphea may get better on its own without treatment, and most treatments have side effects, your doctor may suggest no treatment or treatment with a mild topical corticosteroid cream.

I have a friend aged 34, modestly built. He travels all day by 2 wheeler. He has dark pigmentation of both legs. It started around ankles and is now spreading up. No veins are visible. Feet are spared. Docs suggested varicose vein surgery. Does it help? Ankle brownish skin pigmentation is a classic sign of venous insufficiency and resulting tissue damage. The fact that no veins are seen is irrelevant, as large varicosities frequently may be visually masked by the swelling that usually is present with this condition. Further, many varicose veins bulge “in” and can be palpable though not visual. Finally, determining whether vein treatment will help is dependent on the confirmation of the above issues by an expert.

I have very fair skin with freckles, and would like to get a chemical peel to lighten the freckles and even out my skin. What particular peel or chemicals should I look for? With fair skin, one has to be careful with peels. Lighter peels will be OK in experienced hands. Sometimes, certain parts of the face (below the eyes for example) should not be peeled at all. Get a consultation first to discuss your goals and skin type with an experienced provider before starting any chemical peels.