Skin Republic

Dear Dr. Jen

My five year old daughter has blisters inside her mouth ("lu-as") and on her hands.  She also has fever and does not want to eat.  How can I prevent my other children from getting this? How long will the blisters take to heal?

Mely

Dear Mely,

There's a condition caused by coxsackie virus that has symptoms similar to what you have described.  It can either be the start of hand foot mouth disease or herpangina. Like all viral ailments, it is self-limited and no amount of antibiotics will cure it. 

However, you can give supportive therapy by giving pain relievers like ibuprofen or paracetamol to numb the pain.  Cooking her favorite meals and drinking cold beverages will also help.

You can avoid spreading the virus by cessation on the sharing of straws, glasses, utensils and kissing the infected daughter for the meantime. Frequent hand washing also helps.  Take heart, it will be gone in a few days.

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Dear Dr. Jen,

There are ugly white, polygonal scars on my arms and knee which I got from falling off the bike when I was young.  Is there a way to shrink the scar? 

Josie

Dear Josie,

Irregularly-shaped scars are usually caused by lacerations that probably weren't sutured after it happened.  You can opt to do some scar revision by having your able and certified doctor alter it to make it smaller and more pleasant. 

If the scar is depressed, fractional laser can be used to make the skin rise a little bit.  The downside of doing this is it might become darker than your skin. Also, you will certainly need several sessions.

***

Dear Dr. Jen,

Are BB creams good for Filipino skin?

Jessie

Dear Jessie,

Like all kinds of make-up or skin products, it mostly depends on the ingredients and the type of base being used.  Oilier and heavier based creams will not be good for your skin.

BB creams offer all sorts of benefits as a one-stop shop.  It can whiten, lessen wrinkles, block the sun and provides cover-up too. However, based on my personal practice, I've found a lot of patients developing pimples after using the BB cream.  Perhaps the foundation/color mixed with all the beneficial products result in a heavier cream, hence the clogging of pores.

You can opt to use it on a small area of your face (forehead or even neck) for 2 weeks and wait to see if any bumps, whiteheads or pimple sprout out.  It usually takes 2-8 weeks of continuous use or a new product for pimples to start showing if the product is indeed "comedogenic" (clogs pores).