I am suffering from severe sun burn on my upper palm. It lessens after applying an ointment, but now has become worse.

Broadly speaking, recurrent severe sunburns targeting upper palm will be taken as an extremely rare case, if diagnosis is truly accurate. On hands, most of the sunburn reactions are seen affecting the skin of the dorsal (outer) side of the hands, as skin on the palm is the thickest together with soles of the feet. As such, it has extremely high defensive capability against common sunburn reactions. However, certain cases of photochemical reactions have been seen affecting the palmar skin. In this case, if one has applied perfumes or toiletry lotions which have photo-sensitising ingredients and then get exposed to intense sunlight, it can result in a photosensitive/photoallergic chemical reaction which can look very similar to a “sunburn reaction” – which is primarily a type of photo-toxic reaction due to prolonged exposure to high-intensity sunlight on unprotected skin areas. We suspect either chronic hand dermatitis or palmar psoriasis to be fitting more logically into the description of your skin complaints as given in your question. Since details are not available in your query, it will be an uphill task to come to a diagnosis. Also, it will be unethical to some extent to give you any certain diagnosis and suggest a treatment plan.

I’m a 31-year-old male and have been losing hair since my mid-20s. Now the pattern of hair is similar to male pattern baldness. Please help.

Male pattern baldness – medically known as Androgenetic Alopecia – is a common condition. The androgenic hormones commonly known as male hormones mainly testosterone play a vital role in precipitation of androgenetic alopecia through a scientifically complex mechanism. There are many conventional as well as modern treatment options available to manage androgenetic alopecia. However, most of these treatments can only slow down the process of hair loss without offering a total cure or a complete reversal of the problem.The localised injectable treatments, for example mesotherapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) are amongst most popular ones. Their efficacy is individual specific. Getting hair transplantation done is another option. In your case, any suitable treatment advice can only be offered after a thorough clinical examination. Visit an experienced dermatologist who can treat you by a carefully selected treatment.