Dear HealthSmart,

What about acne and makeup? Are there certain ingredients or brands to avoid?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Leger, M.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology at Weill Cornell College of Medicine. Here’s her response:

As with medications, the type of makeup to avoid depends on the characteristics of an individual’s skin. Some patients of mine can simply not handle any oil in their makeup, while others have no issue at all with using oil-based makeup. I often have patients come to me when they’re dealing with an allergic reaction to an ingredient in makeup, so it’s important to pay attention to ingredients that may cause redness or rash, such as fragrance, colors, metals, beeswax, etc. Dermatologists can conduct patch testing to help a patient identify which chemical is triggering their reaction.

Dear HealthSmart,

How common are brain tumors? Is it true that they are a death wish? If not, what treatment methods are most successful?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Allan Friedman, MD, Deputy Director of The Preston Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University. Here’s his response:

Each year, more than 20,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with a primary cancerous tumor of the brain or spinal cord. The most common type of these are gliomas, which grow rapidly–making it urgent that they be detected as early as possible. Whether such a cancerous tumor can be removed surgically depends on its location. Of course, the diagnosis of a brain tumor is bad news for the patient, but I think it’s unfortunate that the general public thinks once you’re diagnosed with a brain tumor, you can forget about surviving. In many cases, survival depends on whether you’re treated at a specialized brain tumor center. I would recommend anyone faced with a brain tumor diagnosis research brain tumor centers accessible to them and make sure that the center’s doctors have a proven track record of treating and surgically removing brain tumors.

Dear HealthSmart,

How are blood cancers detected? Are there recommended screening methods in practice to aid in early detection?

HealthSmart Asked Dr. Daniel Pollyea, M.D., M.S., Clinical Director of Leukemia Services at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Here’s his response:

Early detection is still a very far away goal for blood cancers, especially for leukemia. Frankly, there is no data that the early detection of blood cancers changes a patient’s outcome. Most patients are diagnosed because they don’t feel well and this prompts a visit to their general practitioner. The CBC blood test is commonly used to detect blood cancers and measures white blood cells, hemoglobin, and palate count. A patient may also undergo a bone marrow test, where a long needle goes into hip and collects the marrow. This test is certainly not comfortable but has no bad long term side effects and is a definitive diagnosis. From here a doctor will perform an extensive work up.

Do you have questions on health or wellness you’d like answered by the nation’s leading medical researchers? If so, you can send to Editor@WashNews.com. HealthSmart is a national newspaper column from the Washington News Service in DC. Due to demand, we are unable to reply to all inquiries. Responses through the column are no substitute for care from physicians or other medical professionals.

Copyright Ellen James Martin 2021