I’m a 19-year-old girl with oily skin. I have acne, blackheads and facial hair. Please help.

Most acne sufferers have a co-existing problem of an excessively oily skin, a condition clinically called ‘seborrhea’. As a scientific correlation, active acne lesions only appear once the underlying oil glands (sebaceous glands) of the skin become overstimulated and start producing extra sebum, which patients refers to as excessive oiliness. Sebaceous glands activity is determined by two major factors, genetic and androgen activity. The same causative factors can also be jointly involved in excessive facial hair growth, a condition clinically called hypertrichosis or hirsutism – depending upon the thickness and the length of the abnormally growing hair. You could also be suffering from an underlying polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This will require a complete hormonal blood work as well as a pelvic ultrasound to either exclude or confirm the suspicion of PCOS. There are a few topical preparations that a dermatologist will be able to prescribe for you based on your condition. You can try this treatment for six to eight weeks. A couple of clinical acne cleansing facials will also complement the positive effect of the above treatment. If no significant response is noticed, then combining a few weeks’ course of oral antibiotics will be required.

I’m a 43 years old woman, and am finding that the skin on my face is getting deeply wrinkled, with deep lines between nose and upper lip, and skin folds in the mouth area. Will Botox or fillers help?

Keeping your age in mind, my diagnostic impression will slightly tilt towards premature photo-ageing of your skin, which could be a result of cumulative sun damage over the years. This can be easily fixed by Botulinum Toxin injections on the affected areas given in a smartly calculated dose. The other concern of appearance of deep lines between your upper lip and the bridge of the nose/nostrils can be a part of your facial features under the genetic make-over. Certain individuals can develop the same after going through crash diets that result in major weight loss over a short period of time, creating sagging skin. This problem can be fixed through artistically injected dermal fillers within and around the affected areas in different proportions. Now, let’s address your third problem, of the appearance of the skin folds under your chin. The area around your mouth can be fixed with a combination of dermal filler injections and Botulinum Toxin injections given by an experienced aesthetic dermatologist. There are certain other treatment techniques such as thread lifts that are showing better results in resolving such a problem.