TEENS: The use of illegal drugs in the United States continues to expand at an alarming rate. Illegal drugs kill more people than automobile crashes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts say this dramatic statistic is due to the fact that driving is safer and the use of powerful prescription painkillers is on the rise.

Traffic crashes have been the biggest cause of injury-related deaths in the U.S. They still are, but drug deaths are pulling ahead in one state after another. In the past 24 years, drug-related deaths have doubled. Most increases in drug use are attributed to prescription painkillers, including methadone, Oxycontin and Vicodin. Deaths from methadone increased sevenfold in a seven-year period, according to the CDC. The good news is that the national death rate from traffic crashes fell over 6 percent in the same seven-year period, from 15.3 deaths per 100,000 people to 14.3 per 100,000, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Teens, this information is not aimed at you. But a word to the wise is sufficient!

I NEED TO GAIN WEIGHT

DR. WALLACE: I'm a 17-year-old girl, and I'm extremely thin. I enjoy eating, and I consume my share of food, but I never seem to gain weight. I feel great. I exercise every day. And I get proper rest. Still, it bothers me that I'm so thin. Is there a safe way for me to gain a little weight? — Nameless, Lake Charles, La.

NAMELESS: Several years ago, at a seminar on healthy living, I heard an M.D. on the faculty at the University of California at Irvine say that if a person happens to be thin but is eating properly, there is no need for concern.

But since you are eating properly and still feel you are too thin, I'd advise you to get a checkup with your family doctor to rule out any chance that a physical condition of some sort is preventing you from gaining weight.

AM I TATTOOED FOR LIFE?

DR. WALLACE: Last year, my boyfriend talked me into getting a tattoo. I chose a butterfly on my left shoulder. He and I have since parted ways. He turned out to be a real loser, and I despise the thought of him. Every time I see my tattoo I think of him, and that makes me depressed. Is it possible to have the tattoo removed? If so, how would it be removed, and how much would it cost? I hope I don't have to have this memory for the rest of my life! — Nameless, Moline, Ill.

NAMELESS: The cost of removing a tattoo will vary depending on its size and color, but it should cost about $500. See a dermatologist who can remove the tattoo by sanding the dye out of the skin using a method known as dermabrasion.

It's also possible to have the tattoo covered by a dye the color of your skin. The dye would be tattooed right over the original tattoo. This procedure would be less costly but not as effective as dermabrasion.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.