On February 23rd, the eagerly awaited results of the LEAP study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.   [Du Toit G, Roberts G, Sayre PH et al. Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy.   N Engl J Med 2015; 372:803-813.]   What’s the … [Read more...] about The findings of the LEAP study

It’s March and the hayfever season is almost upon us. It is the time of year that those with seasonal hayfever, or allergic rhinitis dread. There has, however, in recent years been increasing use of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) as a treatment for those with disabling allergic rhinitis. This has … [Read more...] about Immunotherapy in the treatment of eczema

I had the opportunity the other day to choose between taking the bus, catching a taxi or walking to work and I chose the latter option in an attempt to be healthier. After puffing and choking through giant clouds of exhaust fumes for the duration of the 20 minute walk, I started wondering whether it … [Read more...] about Does city pollution contribute to skin ageing?

You would perhaps be not surprised to know that dermatologists see a lot of itchy patients. For that matter, I find that most people actively start itching when they hear that I am a dermatologist!   You may, however, be surprised to find out that not all itching is accompanied by a skin rash … [Read more...] about I’m so itchy!

Last December, I wrote a blog on the benefits of dog ownership as we had recently acquired a new puppy that year. Dog ownership has many benefits but with regards to the Hygiene Hypothesis and the prevention of allergic disease, the evidence available in the literature at the time was limited or not … [Read more...] about ‘Biome depletion’ is a better term than ‘Hygiene Hypothesis’

Another common problem in childhood is warts. It is surprising how many children are referred either on the NHS or privately with warts, be they on the hands, feet or elsewhere.   What are warts? Now this sounds like a pretty daft question but in a way, the answer helps to underline the … [Read more...] about Warts all the fuss about?

The youngest of the family has finally had chicken pox…, phew..., and "Pickin' chocs" is what he called it, by way of explanation! Everyone else in the family has had it and it was getting a bit of a worry that the youngest hadn’t had it yet.   Why do you want to get it? As we all know, … [Read more...] about Pickin’ chocs!

It is the month that all the children go back to school and some are rejoicing - holiday childcare issues over for now! - whilst some are bemoaning the increased congestion on the roads in the morning and mid-afternoon. Many have hopefully enjoyed a good summer holiday, either at home or … [Read more...] about Is this vitiligo?

The last time I talked about hard water and eczema was in my blog in April of last year.[http://sandyflann.com/dr-sandy-flanns-blog/the-role-of-water-softeners-in-eczema]The advice at the time, from a large, multicenter, randomized controlled trial was that ion-exchange water softeners could not be … [Read more...] about Hard water and the risk of developing infantile eczema

The summer holidays are almost upon and we all can’t wait to feel that heat and sun upon our skin. Maybe some of us have been lucky enough to have been somewhere warm and sunny already! However, we are clearly not being safe enough in the sun as recently reported data has shown. In April … [Read more...] about Increasing rates in skin cancer diagnosis.