Skinrepublic

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have this birthmark on the left side of my face for as long as I can remember.  My pediatrician said it is called “nevus of ota” and I can have it removed when I’m older.  I am already turning 20 next month, am I old enough to have it removed?  And how long does a procedure like that take?

Jocelyn

Dear Jocelyn,

Nevus of Ota is usually present at birth but some conditions may not appear until the teenage years.  The skin around the eye area will appear brown, gray or even blue-black.  It will persist throughout life. 

Right now, you seem to be at a good age to have it removed.  As long as your ophthalmologist has cleared you of concomitant eye problems, then you are good to go. 

The era of using a blade to surgically remove these lesions is long past. With the coming of the wonderful Q-switched Nd: YAG lasers, nevus of Ota are easily removed.  It might take about 10-20 minutes depending on the speed setting of the laser.  Also, probably more than one session is needed since the nevus is located in the dermis.

Expected side effect is a temporary darkening around the area and some mild stinging after (easily taken cared of by pain relievers).  I’m sure you must be excited to finally stop using foundation and concealer around the area.  Go to your nearest PDS derma to ensure a certified dermatologist is taking care of your skin needs.

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Dear Dr. Jen,

My internist diagnosed a rash I had last month to be caused by a virus.  I noticed that the rash has become an ugly brown color.  This makes me very conscious.  How can I speed it up to returning to my natural skin color?

Piper

Dear Piper,

Viral rashes are very common.  When medicated, they don’t leave any scars and no one will ever know you had an exanthem after a few weeks have passed.  However, in some unlucky individuals, the dark spots persist.  This happens if the person involved has a darker skin type, or had scratched the rashes initially, or had not used any medicated creams on the rash. 

This can be helped along by using licorice, kojic, hydroquinone, or vitamin C based cream.  It takes a couple of weeks for the skin to go back to normal.  Chemical peels can also be applied.  Using lasers for this type of scars is not advised.   Hope this advise helps.

***

Dear Dr. Jen,

I’ve always had syringoma around my eyes.  What is the cause?  Is there a cream that I can use to prevent new ones from popping out and treat the old ones?   I’ve had it removed before but it keeps coming back.

Eva

Dear Eva,

Syringomas are tiny solid, yellowish to skin colored bumps on the skin.  They are sweat duct tumors typically found around the eye, sometimes on the cheek and forehead too.  This is a completely benign (non-cancerous) condition. It is quite common among people with Asian or African descent.

As for creams, the ones containing bichloro or trichloro-acetic acid are currently being marketed to remove warts and syringoma alike.  The biggest problem to these creams is that some patients put on too much, thereby affecting the surrounding normal skin, leaving a crater-like mark around the syringoma.  It also doesn’t get rid of the syringoma permanently. You might have to get rid of them again after 2 years or so.

There are no creams that prevent these bumps from sprouting up.  Syringoma can be hereditary and may also occur with diabetic patients.  Other people just get it randomly.  It is practically beyond your control if you get it or not.  However, sun exposure is also known to aggravate the condition.  Use of an effective sunscreen will be most beneficiary.

The latest methods that have been found to be effective in removing the syringomas are electrodessication, CO2 fractional laser and surgical excision.  Temporary darkening is a common side effect.  You can discuss with your PDS derma the pros and cons for each procedure before deciding how to have it removed.

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