The way your psoriasis is treated will depend on the severity, extent, distribution etc so it is hard to give you specific advice. However, I tell all my patients that although creams, gels, lotions and ointments are greasy and messy, they are the safest way to treat psoriasis. Light treatment (know...

Thank you for raising this common question. Patients are often confused with regards to the order of applying creams. It does not matter which cream you use first. I would avoid applying them at the same time as if you apply an emollient and a steroid together, the emollient will dilute the steroid ...

Thank you for your post. The treatment for scars depends on the type of scar it is. It is hard to tell from the photo. Darker skins often get post-inflammatory pigmentation changes. This can result from sun burn or any other process that causes inflammation in the skin. You can think of it as a loca...

Thank you for raising this issue. I totally agree with you that prevention is better than treatment. I often say to my patients that I am puzzled why people will go for an annual dental check and eye test but not for an annual skin check. I think the reason we have this problem in the UK is that we ...

Acne is a medical condition and often not the result of a bad diet or skin regime. So its best that you ask your daughter to see her GP in the first instance. Depending on the severity of the acne, and the type, your GP may prescribe either a cream or combine this with an antibiotic. In women, some ...

You may have dermatosis papulosa nigra. These are tiny harmless growths that can appear with age. They are a variant of seborrhoea keratosis (also known as old age warts). Liquid nitrogen treatment can be effective but may leave scars.

Thanks for your post. A unilateral rash like this always makes me suspect a fungal infection. This can mimic eczema or psoriasis and if you have applied topical steroids on it then it is often Tinea incognito - Fungus in disguise! Ask your doctor to take some skin scrapings to look for fungal infect...

Dear Ruth, If you have an allergy to a certain food, then it is possible for this to cause your eczema to flare. Food allergies are much more common in very young children and more rare in adults as most people tend to grow out of food allergies such as milk allergy. Other allergies such as peanut a...

Dear Ruth, You are not alone. Many patients worry about using steroids as long-term use can thin the skin. However, short-term intermittent use is usually safe. You did not say for how long you have been applying steroid creams, what site of the body you use them on and what strength they are. So it...

Thanks for your post. Contact dermatitis is eczema due to contact with an allergen so it is diagnosed after a patch test. Have you had this done? If so, avoiding the allergen identified usually stops the eczema occurring. However, contact allergy in the groin would be unusual and its more likely tha...