SkinRepublic

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have three skin warts on my underarms and my buttocks area.  What is the best and fastest way to get rid of it?

Rina

Dear Rina,

You can have the bothersome skin tags or acrochordons taken out by your PDS derma.  Usually, some anesthesia is applied or injected and your doctor simply snips off the tag.  Some doctors are more comfortable using a cautery or spraying cold liquid nitrogen on it.  The procedure is finished in two minutes. Healing is very fast and you can go about your regular activities right after the procedure.

Dear Dr. Jen,

My son's mosquito bites become very dark after it heals.  Is it safe for him to apply a bleaching agent?  And if so, what whitening solution can be used on a five-year-old boy?

Marisa

Dear Marisa,

Some children (and even adults) can be allergic to insect bites, not just bee stings.  The area becomes very swollen, red and even warm to the touch.  These insect bites are the ones that become super itchy.  The affected child could be scratching into the night.  And once it heals, there is a brown spot left behind.

Dark scars on children usually go away slowly on their own.  All you need is a good daily lotion or moisturizer to help the skin go back to its original color.  However, if repeated injury or insect bites occur on the area, then the skin hardly gets a chance to heal.

Safe whitening agents for children with such scars are limited to vitamin C or licorice.  You might want to look at investing "preventive" mosquito bite measures to avoid having the trouble of dark scars altogether.  Use protective clothing (e.g. knee socks) on your son when outdoors.  Apply (age-appropriate) insect repellant lotion on the exposed areas if they must wear shorts during outdoor activities.  As soon as you notice an insect bite, massage some mild cortisone cream into it immediately so as to avoid any swelling and itching.  Hope this helps.

o choose!

Dr. Tan is a diplomate of Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) and is affiliated with Perpetual Succour Hospital (PSH). For information on PDS, check http://www.pds.org.ph/. For questions or concerns, please text to: 0932 857 7070; or email to: [email protected]; or call The Freeman: (032) 2531276, or PSH: (032) 233 8620 and 232 5929. Your inquiries will be forwarded to Dr. Tan.