Out, out, darned spot!

Q: Can you offer some remedies to help fade age or liver spots on the hands and elsewhere?

A: "Solar lentigines" are brownish spots that show up on the face and other places where people have been exposed to too much sun.

Dermatologists have traditionally recommended fade creams that contain hydroquinone (found in products like Esoterica and Porcelana). But the Food and Drug Administration is threatening to ban hydroquinone because of animal studies suggesting it might have cancer-causing properties. The European Union has already banned hydroquinone from cosmetics.

You may want to consider other options. One is the prescription acne or anti-wrinkle cream tretinoin (Avita, Retin-A, Renova). Dermatologists can also eliminate age spots by freezing them with liquid nitrogen or by using a laser or intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy.

Q: I heard about an over-the-counter product that can be put on the hair, then dried with a hair dryer. The result is a sort of shrink-wrap effect that kills head lice. Do you know what this product is?

A: Look for Cetaphil facial cleanser in your pharmacy. Coat the hair with Cetaphil, and leave it on the scalp for two minutes. As you blow-dry the hair, the Cetaphil will harden and suffocate the lice. Rinse the Cetaphil off after eight hours.

Q: My father-in-law has cut out all green leafy vegetables because he is taking the blood thinner Coumadin (warfarin). Must he really eliminate all these healthful vegetables?

A: Anyone taking Coumadin must be careful about interactions with food and other medicines. Green leafy vegetables contain vitamin K, which can counteract the effectiveness of the blood thinner, but they might not need to be dropped from the diet completely. As long as your father-in-law keeps his vitamin K intake constant, the doctor can adjust the dose of warfarin accordingly.

In their column, pharmacologist Joe Graedon and nutrition expert Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.