Dr Tzeyeong Teng

Thank you for your question. As we get older, there are a few changes that occur: we lose fat on our face bone resorption provides us with less structural support collagen and elastin fibres start to break down in our skin retaining ligaments of the face which provides support to the soft tissue also start to weaken. All this contributes to loss of volume, downward shifting of the fat pads, and sagging that can appear as hollowness under the eyes, droopy corners of the mouth, deep nasolabial folds and jowling.

thank you for your question. The urine dipstick test is a point-of-contact test that can give immediate results. Some information that can be gleaned from the urine dipstick analysis include the pH of urine, presence of protein, sugar, red blood cells, white blood cells, bacteria, ketones and bile.

Thank you for your question. Daytime somnolence, poor concentration in the day, fatigue, dozing off easily are possible symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition whereby there is complete or partial obstruction of the airways during sleep. During deep sleep, there is usually relaxation of the muscles of the airway, resulting in collapse of the airway. While this may be expected in everyone to some degree, the effect is often exaggerated in individuals with certain conditions including a larger tongue, enlarged tonsils, obesity etc.

Hi Tan SP, I fully agree t hat you most likely have post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), which commonly occurs after inflammation or injury to the skin. This condition is more common in darker skin types. Some common precipitating factors include acne or trauma, but may also be caused by previous laser therapy, dermabrasion or chemical peels. It can affect patients of all ages and gender, but is more severe usually in darker skinned individuals.

If you notice that your mole has increased in size, changed its shape or color, started bleeding or became itchy, or has started “sprouting” new moles around it, I would recommend that you consult a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon who would be able to advise if any further investigations are required. Some options that may be proposed include a biopsy of the mole to confirm the nature of the mole (whether it is benign, pre-cancerous or cancerous).

Thank you for your question. First a disclaimer: I am not a plastic surgeon nor an opthalmologist, but I would try to answer your question based on my exposure to the topic during my trainee days. From your question, it seems to me you had corrective surgery; I presume for your craniofacial condition? This commonly entails precise repositioning of the facial bones by creating breakages in the bone and then piecing them back together in the new position. Would this be the “fracture” you are referring to?

Thank you for your question. In order to comprehend treatment of any disease, it is absolutely important to understand the underlying disease process first. Acne is fundamentally caused by 4main processes: 1. Increased keratinization (or skin thickening) and hypercornification (where skin shedding is slowed). This results in built up of skin debris leading to obstruction of oil flow 2. Increased oil (sebum) production 3. Inflammation 4. Infection with P.

First and foremost, I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis of breast cancer and I hope you are recovering well from your surgery. In the treatment of any cancer, it is always important to consider the stage of the tumour (how advanced it is, how much it has spread) and also certain features of the tumour which can affect how aggressive the tumour is (grade, hormone receptor status, HER2 protein status etc). From your question, I am assuming your cancer surgeon has performed a mastectomy (whole breast removal) with clear margins and has advised you to go for chemotherapy.

thank you for your question. Although arthritis might be a cause of your symptoms, there are other conditions that can account for your symptoms such as a simple sprain of the joints of the fingers (from your exercise, from using computers etc). Furthermore, there are many subclasses of arthritis (rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis etc) and many conditions that can cause arthritis as part of the disease process including SLE. It will be difficult to diagnose based on your submitted history, as a more elaborate history and physical examination may be required.