My daughters are in their early teens and obsessed with their skin. What can I advise them about eating right and taking care of their skin?
Skin care is extremely important for teenagers. Junk food, carbonated drinks, irregular sleep patterns, stress due to studies, exposure to sun and pollution take a toll on the skin making it dull and lifeless. Acne, dandruff, hair loss, premature graying and even early wrinkles could occur due to improper care. One must have plenty of brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, oranges, cherries, plums, berries, red grapes, spinach and broccoli. These have a high content of anti-oxidants in them especially vitamin C, E, beta carotene and selenium. Anti-oxidants are free radical scavengers and they protect the skin from oxidative damage, thus helping your skin to remain youthful and glowing. One must also drink 8-10 glasses of water to remain well hydrated. As far as skin care is concerned, don’t try different soaps and shampoos all the time. Use a mild face wash. Avoid going outdoors without applying a sunscreen with an SPF of 30. It is even better if you carry an umbrella. Do not coat your skin with too much make-up. This could block your pores and increase whiteheads and blackheads. If you have dry skin, don’t forget to apply a moisturizer on a slightly moist skin. You could use a scrub once in a week. You could even go to a dermatologist for skin polishing or a skin clean-up once a month.

I have oily skin but in winter my skin gets dry by the time it is evening. Trying to ease the situation, I apply a moisturizer but I get acne as a result. What should I do?
Usage of heavy oil-based or heavy moisturizers is probably blocking your pores leading to more acne. You should use a mild face wash with salicylic acid (saslic foam wash or Salvosh). Salicylic acid works by softening keratin, a protein that forms part of the skin structure. This helps to loosen dry scaly skin making it easier to remove. It also prevents clogging of pores and helps in breakdown of blackheads and whiteheads. Do not use a toner in winter as it would further dry your skin. Apply a gel-based sunscreen. At bedtime, use a mild cleansing lotion such as Cetaphil cleansing lotion instead of soap or a face wash. Soaps alter the Ph balance of the skin making the skin drier. Apply a thin coat of oil-free moisturizing lotion or Emolene cream but do not massage. The massage itself would stimulate sebaceous glands to secrete more sebum or oil. If you still get acne, please consult a dermatologist.

I am just recovering from shingles, and my doctor says its connected with chickenpox. Can you explain this?
Shingles is caused by a virus called Herpes zoster, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox.
When you were a child, you had chickenpox at some stage. Since then, the virus has not left your body, but has migrated to the roots of the nerves along your spinal cord, where it can remain in an inactive stage for the rest of your life.
At times of stress, either emotional or physical, or when you have another illness that lowers your resistance, the virus may become active again and start to multiply and move along the nerve. This causes the skin and other tissues around the area the nerve supplies to become very painful, and this is the first symptom of shingles.
Usually only one or two nerves are affected, and almost invariably on only one side of the body. Any nerve may be affected, and it can occur on the belly or chest (which are the most common sites), or on the face or legs. The worst variety occurs around the eye and ear, where dizziness, ear noises and rarely blindness may occur.
When the rapidly multiplying virus particles reach the end of the nerve, an acutely tender blistering rash occurs. This often forms an acutely tender belt-like line around one half of the body. The rash dries out slowly and disappears over several weeks, usually healing completely, but occasionally leaving some scarring on sensitive areas such as the neck and face.
Tablets are now available to cure shingles, but you must start taking them within three days of the rash first appearing, so never hesitate to see your doctor if you develop a painful rash—you could save yourself weeks or months of pain and discomfort.

I need help with my cold sores. They just keep coming and nothing seems to help them. What can I do?
Cold sores are best treated when they first develop. The first symptoms are pain and tingling at the site of the sore on the lips, nose or elsewhere. If antiviral ointment (eg. Zovirax) is applied every hour to the area at this stage, it may be possible to prevent the sore from developing. Once the sore is present, the ointment is not as effective.
The best treatment for developed cold sores are the many lotions and creams available from chemists that contain a drying agent to heal, an antiseptic to prevent further infection, and an anaesthetic to ease the pain. About a quarter of the population are susceptible to these sores, and develop them at irregular intervals for many years.
Unfortunately there is no permanent cure yet available.