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.

Fungal nail infections are very common. A lot of the population probably are unsuspecting sufferers to some degree. As dermatologists, we often see fungal nail infections that are referred to us as abnormal nails in a child or a possible melanoma of the nail in an adult. Diagnosis is therefore … [Read more...] about Fungal nail infections

At the time of writing this blog post, we have had the first glorious sunny Spring days of the year after a definitely dreary, soggy few months.  And of course, we’re all feeling a bit better with the brighter days.    As usual, patients always ask how much sun exposure is safe.    Is sun … [Read more...] about Does sun exposure mean you live longer?

 Tattooing brings out all sorts of different emotions depending on who you are, your culture, background and life experiences. We more commonly think of tattoing in accordance with it being a modern fashion accessory (I’m sure many of us can remember Rachel in Friends getting a tattoo) but others … [Read more...] about To tattoo… or not?

Being March, we may all be thinking of longer days, getting out and about, and possibly enjoying country walks as spring is surely on its way.  By no means trying to put anyone off such honourable pursuits, I do, however, remember that towards the end of last year, a case was presented of a late … [Read more...] about Tick, tick, tick…

At the end of November of last year, the British Medical Journal wrote a Clinical Review on the ‘Diagnosis and management of hyperhidrosis.’  [Benson RA, Palin, R, Holt PJE et al.  Diagnosis and management of hyperhidrosis.  BMJ 2013; 347: f6800.] Now, hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excess … [Read more...] about Super-sweating

 I have written about food allergies before but the British Medical Journal published a clinical review on how to manage cows’ milk allergy in children in September of last year.    [Ludman S, Shah N, Fox AT.  Managing cows’ milk allergy in children.  BMJ 2013; 347: 28-32.] This is a very … [Read more...] about Cows’ milk protein allergy in children

We’ve acquired a puppy this year, which has been very exciting for us.  However, owning a pet is not a new thing to us.  We’ve had pets in our family even before we had children and we feel our children benefit from having animals around them in many ways.  Has anyone heard of the Hygiene … [Read more...] about Puppies aren’t just for Christmas – they can be good for you!

All of a sudden, I seem to know a whole load of pregnant people.  There must be something in the water in this part of Kent!  However, on a professional level, we have also had quite a few referrals for pregnancy-related rashes recently and I have realized that this is one area that I have not … [Read more...] about Itchy, scratchy pregnant tummies.