I have a large 10 year old black and grey tattoo on my lower back, and
I needed to have an MRI on the exact same area because there is a
hemangiamona there. During the MRI my tattoo got warm so we stopped the
MRI. 15 minutes later I was experiencing tachycardia , high blood
pressure, and had a […]

I was diagnosed with Alopecia and most of my hair (75%) has nearly gone.
I have low iron (and took for a while iron tabs) but this did nothing for my hair.
My dermatologist has given me Prednisolone tablets (2 per day) for 2 months (decreasing by 1/2 tab each fortnight).
I am not one for tablets especially […]

My 25 year old son has finally gotten on accutane for 2 months after waiting until he was willing to not drink. Now his girlfriend of 3 years has just broken up with him. He is very upset, having trouble focusing at work. I wonder if he could get on an anti […]

hi .. i am 15 years old , i was 14 at the time .. i had pains in my stomach and it got real bad and i had been vomiting all night. so i went to the emergency room they didnt do nothing , they said i had something else. i went to my […]

I have recently experienced a tremendous amount of patchy hair loss and over all thinning. Received a diagnosis of alopecia areata and I accepted that diagnosis until one week later a co-worker revealed her hair loss also. It was like looking at a mirror image.
She had the same symptoms of tremendous amount of hair […]

I have a few spots on my stomach that are light red, barley not my regular skin color, and kind of looks like a rash. I also have a few of the same looking spots in my pubic hair area. I have HPV..is this from that??
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
Probably not from HPV. If there […]

Hi I have a muscle swelling in left side of lower left leg accompanied by a hot tingly sensation and red pin prick rash. I also have sharp pain in tibia when walking or putting pressure on lower leg.It is causing significant distress and making hard to walk.Any suggestions as to what this might be? 
 
I […]

I have had a lump on the side of my head above my right ear for the past few months. I was having some pain, an itching sensation, and irritation in the area. I went to see a doctor who mentioned the possibility of a cyst. He referred me to a dermatologist and a skull […]

My brother has large purple coloration on the inside of both ankles, he says they itch terrible and burn. He has found no one to tell him what this might be. He is a 56 year old Vietnam vet. If you have any ideas please let me know so I can investigate further.
Dr. Joshua’s Answer
It’s […]

I started getting a big dark spot on my cheeks, nose, upper lip and chin. The left cheek isn’t as dark as the rest of the spots on my face. I haven’t taken birth control in years (I did not get this when I was taking them), and I am not pregnant nor […]

I started getting white dots on my legs and sometimes on my arms about four or five years ago. I went to a dermatologist and he said that was the way my skin was. Wouldn’t this have been going on all of my life then? He said that if I get […]

I have severe acne scarring and tried some “miracle” creams but they dont work. I saw an advertiesement for acne scar removal by surgery, but I don’t understand the descriptions of the procedures. What are my options and how much will it cost??
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
In short, your options include:
-Chemical peels for mild scarring, cost $500-$1,000 […]

Hi Doctor,
I’m after some advice about my daughter. She has recently started to suffer from hair-loss, there are no bald patched yet, but after washing it, there is quite a lot in the brush. This is obviously getting her down. She has just turned 14, is healthy overall, and has a good diet – we […]

I teach ESL in China, so I cannot easily get to a doctor. I have always been in good health, just turned 40, no problems in the past, no history of diseases in my family, and in good shape.
My hair was thinning so I started using minoxidil 5%. After four months I began […]

Dr,
Iv noticed that the skin in my right nostrol has become simaler to cartilige. It isent the imediate area around the nostril, but the part above it. If i feel the inside and outside of my nose at the same time it feels like a plate that is there. […]

My problem was when I was 11years old. My pubic hair was 20-25cm long when I was in grade six. I realised this was not normal but was afraid to visit a doctor about it so I started removing the hairs with tweezers. They kept growing back but eventually they grew back shorter and shorter […]

Hello, I first want to say how embarrassing this is , hence not talking to our family physician. My Daughter , 21 years old , has had severe acne for at least 6 years, the problem is that for about a year & for some unknown reason when she pops the pimples , or picks […]

Have itchy palms and feet. Took Mucinex for a cold. Can this do something like this or is there something else that causes this?
 
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
 
It’s possible that you are allergic to guaifenesin or some other ingredient of Mucinex. Discontinue use. If the itching does not ease and/or you develop rashes, call your doctor.

I am 53 years old and have been a smoker for 6 years. I just recently noticed a deep pain in my throat. It’s not like any sore throat I’ve ever had. It comes and goes and shoots down into my upper chest area a little. My Lymph glands are swollen and my throat is […]

I get a lot of questions from my customers asking me why they get headaches from wine. I have done some probing and found out that a lot of these customers have other environmental allergies and I believe wine has a high level of histamines could this be a reason for some headaches. If so […]

I am a 31 year old female who was Diagnosed about 5 years ago with Ulcerative Colitis. I have terrible acne and have tried everything on the market I could possibly find that claimed to help. I have heard a lot about Accutane and I wanted to know if there are any other choices maybe […]

Allergy?
It seems like my tounge swells somewhat and is very sore. The middle of my tounge appears to have various splits on the top and the back close to the throat has bumps that are visible. What can cause this? It lasts about a week and then goes away. It only has happened three or […]

i was doing my work on the computer as i do every day. my arm wrist was hurting. the more i used the mouse i noteced it more. my fingers were tingling then got a numing and hurting effict. my fingers on my right had got really cold. after several hours it got worse, i […]

I have recently noticed what appear to be small pimples (that have not gotten bigger over a week) on my husbands back and on my stomach and face, It looks like some of the pimples on my husbands back have started to look a little black where the normal white tip is (not like a […]

I think Im allergic to the cold. Ive been getting hives on my face and legs for a while and was not sure why. Until recently i was out in the cold for a long period of time, and a few hours after i had come in and warmed up, I got red, itchy welts […]

Hi Dr. Joshua,
I’m a male in my early 20s and I think I’m pretty healthy. I have a question about body hair. Is it normal for hair to be dramatically different colors on different parts of the body? I have dark brown hair on my head, pubic region, legs, and arms, but blonde hair on […]

Hi,
it would be great if you can answer my problem!!! i ‘m 20. I never had any acne problem before my clear was clear all the
time. Then suddenly i got a few cystic acne which are so painful and leave scars. I am so scared i went to see the doctor and she prescribed me […]

I have smoked for 15 years and drink quite alot of alcohol. I smoke canabis and that has been increasing in the last 4 years since travelling. I have recently returned from Asia where I smoked it constantly and heavily for the last 2 1/2 months. I also took ectasy quite alot in the last […]

Hello Dr.Joshua. Maybe my question isnt an emergency type of question or life threatning, but I am trying to know something. My question is if its possible for young women in the age of 16-18 have stretch marks in the breast area and weist area without ever being pregnant or overweight, always maintaining the exact […]

C. asks about his son’s acne:
Hello, I have a 17 year old son and I would like him to begin taking a daily dose of 50mg of zinc to combat his acne. Will this be safe? Is there any long term effects?
 
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
I am personally skeptical about nutritional supplements. I believe the RDA’s are […]