Dr. Parul Kolhe (M.B.B.S, D.D.V (Diploma in Dermatology & Venereology)) is a practicing dermatologist with Nanavati hospital. She is a member of the Cosmetology Society Of India or CSI and has worked with Positive Health Clinic as a consultant for skin & diet.

Q : I'm 16 year old boy with oily facial skin, and I have a medium complexion , the problem is when I go out, my face looks dull and oily, and sometimes when I try to wipe out the excess oil with hankerchief it becomes very reddish and dark. When I get back home I usually use pears oil control soap to wash my face , and my face regains it's lustre! I want to know the cause of the problem, and it's solution , please give me a remedy.

A: The cause of your prob is the sebaceous over secretion due to hormonal changes at your age which makes the skin look dull and causes pimples as well. The solution is frequernt face washing with an oil control face wash but since that is not possible for you, you fcan carry a bottle of astringent and a cotton ball and use it remove the oil from your face periodically. Don’t rub hard with a kerchief as that will lead to further darkening of the skin.

Q : Hi I have spots on my face and mainly my forehead. I use soap & water in them in the shower (I don't have the time or cash to be mucking around with cleansing creams ect.) They're not blackheads or whiteheads but like little red bumps under my skin. I have a healthy-ish diet and do lots of sport. When I drink loads of water, they go away but only for an hour or so. I've started drinking it lots now but I can't always drink it because I'm scaring my parents because of now often I need the loo. Any ideas? PS I do not drink or smoke.

A: Your skin is prone to some allergic reactions. This could be due to some new product that you are using or also could be the soap. Please visit a dermatologist.

Q: Help meeeee,hi , mam/sir, I Sameer is a B.com student in final year. See mamor sir since many day my face is changing in black colour and on my face there is some dark dot and some black dots so it is not removing while I have use many thing on my face so please give me some suggestion and help me how to bright my face thank you faith fully Sameer

Ans. For lightening an d brightening use Retino-A and Melalite cream at bed time. Use a good exfoliating scrub twice a week and sun protection is an abso must ot avoid darkening. And to the black dot you have to consult a dermatologist as it is impossible to tell without seeing.

Q: Hi I have a problem in nail of my foot. Seems like fingal infection, it has some powdery substance under the nail. It does not hurt. Consulted a doctor who advised a capsule TOB. Please advise.

A: This sounds like a fungal infection you will have to apply some tropical anti fungal like Candid lotion/dazex cream and you will have to take capsule Forcan- 150 ml once a week for at least 4 weeks.

Q: Hi! I m 22 yrs old. I have pigmentation on my back. I have been bleaching my back n also applying a paste of besan, milk, lemon juice n haldi on my back to reduce pigmentation. It has helped but the results r v. slow. Can u suggest something which will help me to do away with this pigmentation on my back. Thank you.

Ans. Firstly stop putting chemical bleach on your back as it can make things worse if you are sensitive to it. Retino and mela at night.

Q: I wish to improve my complexion, make it more glowing n fair. Please suggest some effective home remedy. I have been doing a clean-up n bleaching routine from a parlor every 1-2 months. I m 21 yrs old. Await your reply. Thanks.

A: Fingertip unit 

Q: I am a 35 yr. old female who had perfect facial skin as a teenager and young adult (until 25). Since graduating from college and moving to a very humid area I developed whiteheads around my jaw line. I have thus moved around the country the last ten years in various humid/dry conditions with increased skin problems. At the present, I live in a dry climate in a rural area with no pollution but my face and scalp are extremely oily. I have progressed whiteheads over most of my face and have flat skin irritations. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of picking at these flat irritations, but when I do they have a discharge with a large degree of clear puss/drainage. I normally use Clinque facial soap and toner... have tried some other soaps but this makes it worse. I also use 10% benzoyl peroxide lotion several times a day with no dayring of my skin. My scalp oiliness is only increasing no matter how frequently I wash my hair (usually daily). Any suggestions you have would be appreciated as I have not seen a Dermatologist due to lack of funds. Thank you!!

A: Firstly for the face it is natural hormonal changes that occur over a woman’s lifetime. You have to get the whitehead removed in a sterile manner by a dermatologist. For the oiliness benzoyl peroxide put 4% twice a day and Adaferrin at night. Frequent face and scalp washing is necessary.

Q: As my skin is radiant & gets dark when I am out in the sun. I use Sunscreen lotions b'coz of which my skin seems to be very oily. Another problem what I face is my upper lip skin, chin & a little part of the skin near to my nose is dry & the rest of the skin is neither oily nor dry. Please help me to get rid of this problem & what should I do to make my skin fairer.

A: Slite 15 in the morning and what you have is a combination problem for which you have to moisturize the dry area more frequently than the rest of the face and use a mild cleanser.

Q: Hi... I have some scars at my back how can I get rid of these pl reply me soon....will b thankful to u nd wt type of face pack I can apply on my face as my face is not oily but I get pimple often.....tell me some housemade remedy so that I can get even skin tone....waiting to hear from you

A: Besan, honey and haldi and for the scars on the back go to dermatologist.

Q: How do you actually apply it so that it looks nice and flawless? Because I have tried every tip and trick but nothing works, it makes my skin look horrible and powdery even when I don't put much on. Also I can never cover under eye circles, help me!

A: matching of the foundation wtint the skin is very essential. Consult the sales person for this. Always apply a base of protective moisturizer and then dab small portions of foundation all over the face. Use a concealer stick on darker areas if necessary and finally mat it with a good compact.

Q: Hello I am an MBA student, presently residing in Bangalore in my collage hostel. While I was doing my graduation from Nagpur,3 years back I had prominent pimples. I went to a skin specialist to cure them. Of course within a month I got rid from those fearful proned face but it left with tiny holes, dark patches & rough skin. As the medicine was a strong sulfur based one. I am presently a 22years old girl. I prefer to take nutritious food, intake plenty of water, have a complete 8hours sound sleep &avoid taking tensions. Fro last 3 years I am trying all the possible market products to get a clean, toned& moisturized skin. Basically I have a very oily skin type & I am a dark complexioned girl. By any means is their any possibility of getting a healthy skin. It will be very kind of you If you con help me out. Waiting for your reply Thanks

A: You need a treatment called chemical peeling is available nowadays with most dermatologist where we use varying concentration of alpha hydroxy acid to resurface the skin. This treatment might help you.

Q: Hi, I saw a query about suntan and usage of sunscreens. Reply to this query was a article in which there was a mention of TPI. How do I look for TPI. The only thing I see on Sunscreens is SPF here in US. Please advice on which sunscreen to use for tropical area like Hawaii etc. Thanks

Ans: TPI is mentioned in imported Sunscreens like Vichy. You need to use high Spf water proof sunscreen like banana boat (sport).

Q: Hi, I have a huge problem (well not THAT huge), I have a very hairy face! There is sooo much hair all over my nose and I just don't know what to do ( I cannot wax, nor thread, when I pluck more hair appears!!). I have a fair complexion and I have oily skin in the T-zone . Not only that but I have a skin problem known as pilar keratosis, my dermatologist told me that it is chronic and cannot go away. I can live with but there is only one problem; when I shave or wax it hurts a lot. could you please help me solve only two of my many problems? thanx

A : Laser is ideal for you and it will help you get rid of hair permanently. For pillar you can use Glyco- A 12% or Salipylix -12%.

Q: I am currently under going roaccutane treatment for acne and I was wondering of there was any creams of treatments for getting rid of scars. Please reply means a lot to me

A: Utane is the best for acne. Post acne scar you need to apply Tretin and melalite and if this also fails then go in for chemical peeling.

Q: Hi! I am 21 years of age & i am having dandruff problem & due to that my hairs are falling. Pl. help me...... ?

A: Scalve shampoo to be applied for 15 mins a nd thoroughly rinse. Wash it off 2 a week.

Q: Hi there again, Dr. Parul I was wondering if you could tell me were to purchase or to receive this treatment from. Also how much would this chemical peeling cost  and is it safe?

A: It is very safe. Any side effect in this treatment doesn’t last more than 1-2 weeks. It costs between 300 to 1400 depending on the quality of the peel.