My kids used to think it was great, usually when I’m in the middle of doing something else, to throw at me the most absurd questions, such as, “Mum, what would you rather do?  Jump into a pit of poisonous snakes or walk through a tunnel of deadly spiders?”  Er, neither, would be my preferred answer … [Read more...] about The mechanisms behind itching – the ultimate puzzle

As a dermatologist, we see problems with the skin day in day out as our job, and we are in the position where we get queries about which products to use on the skin, not necessarily to treat a primary skin condition but more to do with every day use. It is interesting to know that we are commonly … [Read more...] about How ‘clean’ is a ‘clean’ product?

In November of last year, I wrote about the bed bug outbreak which was due to a combination of resurgence in travel after the pandemic together with widespread bed bug resistance to pesticides.   It seems that another mite has also developed resistance to conventional treatment.  I only … [Read more...] about The resistance of the scabies mite

For those of you that have been following me for some time will know, my father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.  His management including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery and the management of subsequent complications also took place during both UK … [Read more...] about The long burden of COVID-19 lockdown

Dermatologists have long recognised that progesterone-only hormonal contraception is associated with new or worsening acne in up to one third of adult patients. [Lortscher D, Admani S, Satur N et al.  Hormonal contraceptives and acne: a retrospective analysis of 2147 patients. J Drug Dermatol … [Read more...] about Long acting progesterone contraception and teenage acne

January is over.  Traditionally one of the slowest months, it went really quickly for me this year which is great but then it worries me how fast the rest of the year will go.  We have three milestone birthdays and a special anniversary this year so it is a year we wish to savour.   One … [Read more...] about DEET or not to DEET?

It’s a new year, and I don’t know how your 2023 went, but we could really do with a good 2024 in the Flann household.  Everyone from family, friends and patients had warned us that the first Christmas after a death in the family was the hardest so we prepared ourselves.  I had a little wobbly on … [Read more...] about Gene editing skin creams

December and sub-zero temperatures are not what one would normally associate with pleasurable swimming weather.  However, at a recent working lunch, my bookkeeper Natalie informed us that she was swimming a marathon and was close to completing it.  And the rest of us were extremely … [Read more...] about An allergic dermatitis to swimming pools

The BBC news today reports that a library in Ealing has had to close temporarily due to bed bugs and this, worryingly, comes shortly after a widely reported outbreak of bed bugs in Paris in … [Read more...] about The bug in the bed that bites

Life is always full of surprises, I suppose that is the way it is supposed to be otherwise if everything went always as planned then there would be no innovation.   So it was with surprise that I read an article about house dust mites and vitiligo in the September edition of the British … [Read more...] about House dust mites and vitiligo