What did 2019 hold for you?  Was it a good year or a dreadful year?  For us, as I’m sure it has been for most people, it’s been a real mixed bag with highs and lows but you know, when there are hard times, it is always helpful to remember all the things that are precious and good in our … [Read more...] about Every cloud has a silver lining…

Having to do a talk to local GPs about rosacea does focus the mind somewhat on this pretty prevalent skin condition.  It was also helpful to see that the October 2019 issue of the British Journal of Dermatology had a study from Belgium on the condition. What is rosacea? Rosacea is … [Read more...] about What’s new in rosacea?

I remember as a child being warned by my mother and father not to get into cars driven by anyone other than the person designated to pick me up from school that day.  And I was most definitely warned to not get in any car driven by any strange men.  If any of you remember Roald Dahl’s … [Read more...] about The downside of being a villain

I recently had the pleasure of spending a morning observing one of my plastic surgical colleagues performing sentinel lymph node biopsy. What is a sentinel lymph node biopsy? This is a procedure used in cancer management, for example in breast cancer or in the case of dermatology, in the … [Read more...] about Go with the blue…

It is August.  It is the time of year when the vast majority of the nation is on holiday and probably jetting off to somewhere hot and sunny. Cancer Research UK also issued a press release on 18th July 2019 that melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have increased by 45% since 2004 with rates … [Read more...] about The forbidden fruit?

The May 2019 edition of the British Journal of Dermatology had an interesting paper on dermatological identifiers of underlying cardiac disease. [Maruthappu T, Posafalvi A, Castelletti S et al.  Loss-of-function desmoplakin I and II mutations underlie dominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy … [Read more...] about The usefulness of woolliness

At the time of writing, I have just returned from the European Society of Paediatric Dermatology in Dubrovnik. Of course, all things to do with Paediatric Dermatology are refreshed and new advances have been illuminated.  I always enjoy a bit of historical culture and I thought it … [Read more...] about Calypso’s isle?

Anyone who has a child aged between 5 and 10 years of age will have heard of slime. It’s not the stuff you find coming out of a slug or a snail, this is the stuff of party bags, easy online purchasing and more recently, the stuff of endless online videos showing how to make your own slime at home.   … [Read more...] about Slime busted!

We, as a family, have had a big drive this year to eat a more plant-based diet. Why? Well, probably in a bid to eat less meat (as we eat far too much meat in the Western world for our needs) and also to try and reduce our carbon footprint. Has it worked? Maybe! It can be hard to follow, especially … [Read more...] about Plant oils and eczema

We are always on the lookout for anti-ageing products; creams and serums that can prevent or reverse the altered pigmentation, wrinkles and different skin texture that can occur as we get older, more so on sun-exposed skin.   Natural products or products deemed to be ‘organic’, ‘all … [Read more...] about A natural anti-wrinkle cream?