You may be seeing a Harley Street Dermatologist because your GP has referred you, because your NHS appointment is taking too long, or because you wish to see a Harley Street Dermatologist for a skin, hair, scalp or nail condition.

Here are 4 steps you can take to make sure that the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing is suitably qualified.

1) Check their Title
Firstly make sure that the title of the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing is “Consultant Dermatologist”. Only qualified medical practitioners who have undertaken further study, specifically in Dermatology have qualified with this title. Watch out for terms like ‘Natural Dermatologist’ or other terms as they may mean that the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing may not have had specialist, accredited medical Dermatology training

2) Check the GMC Register
Secondly make sure that the Harley Street Dermatologist is recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC) and on their specialist register for Dermatology. The GMC promotes health and safety by ensuring proper standards including registration of doctors. You can go to their website at www.gmc-uk.org and select ‘check a doctor’s registration status. You want to see that your Harley Street Dermatologist is on the GMC register, has a valid ‘licence to practise’, and is on the specialist register for Dermatology. This registration ensures that the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing meets a common set of standards in training. It is a good way of ensuring that Harley Street Dermatologists who were not trained in the UK have a common level of training.

3) Ask if they have a ‘Substantive NHS post’
In the UK, it is standard for good Dermatologists to work part of their time within the NHS system and part of their time privately. It ensures that they are getting a good mix of clinical work and cases. Only Dermatologists who have been trained and have a qualification in a country that meets the same standards as those trained in the UK, are able to gain a ’substantive NHS post’. It’s another way of ensuring that the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing meets an expected level of training. Harley Street Dermatologists that have a locum NHS post may be more junior or may have trained in a country which is not recognised as having the same level of Dermatology training as the UK.

4) Check that they are recognised by all the major UK health insurers
Finally, make sure that the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing is recognised by all the major UK health insurers. Each health insurer has their own recognition program, and Harley Street Dermatologists need to apply for recognition by each insurer. It is another way of ensuring that the Harley Street Dermatologist you are seeing meets expected training and expertise levels.

If you would like to see a Harley Street Dermatologist who meets all these requirements, that is they are a Consultant Dermatologist, they are on the GMC specialist register for Dermatology, they have a substantive NHS post, and they are recognised by all the major UK health insurers, then you can contact The London Skin and Hair Clinic. They have a team of Harley Street Dermatologists who meet these requirements. What is more as well as focusing on medical expertise, they also believe in excellent customer service.

You can find more information about the Dermatologist at The London Skin and Hair Clinic website.

Dr Wade explained what bed bugs were and what risk if any they present.

‘People’s immune responses vary,’ explains dermatologist Dr Martin Wade from The London Skin and Hair Clinic. For some, it’s just a little red bump; others end up with a huge swollen bite.

In most cases, and if they are left alone, the bites calm down and disappear over the course of a week to ten days. However, in some cases the patient has a bullous reaction to the bite – this is when the skin erupts into pus-filled blisters.

Bacteria can also get into the tissue under the skin, causing cellulitis (an infection which can lead to swelling, sometimes a fever and chills; this is more of a concern for diabetics).

While bed bugs are not known to carry diseases, Dr Wade says there is still a question over whether they can transmit hepatitis B or C, although there are no proven cases.

You can read the whole article at Daily Mail Online here.

You can find more information about bed bugs here and about skin conditions and treatment options at The London Skin and Hair Clinic website.

Dandruff is essentially excess shedding of skin from the scalp. Old skin cells are constantly being replaced by new ones and losing some skin cells from the scalp is perfectly normal. Normally this will be in too small quantities to even notice. However, in someone with dandruff there is an excess build up of skin cells that clump together and fall as large visible flakes.

The cause is thought to be a yeast called Malassezia. Everyone has some of this yeast on their scalps but in someone with dandruff it is present in larger quantities. The immune system responds by overproducing skin cells, and sometimes causing inflammation and itching – it is the body’s way of trying to budge the excess yeast.

Dandruff is most common among those with oily hair as the yeast feeds off the oil. The condition can also affect the skin on the face and chest because these are the sebaceous (oily) areas of the body.

Hormones also play a part as the condition only comes on after puberty when levels of sex hormones increase as you need these hormones to stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce oil in the skin. Interestingly young babies can have flaking on the scalp due to circulating maternal hormones but this is self limiting. Medical conditions such as Parkinson’s, HIV and having a stroke can also lead to dandruff, although the cause is not understood.

The condition has seasonal variation. Sunlight reduces the immune response of the skin so in the summer many people find that their dandruff improves only to get worse again in the autumn and winter.

If the dandruff is very mild you could try simply washing your hair every day with a daily use regular shampoo. Massage the scalp as you wash it to dislodge any flakes of dandruff and this maybe enough to solve the problem.

Popular anti dandruff shampoos such as Head & Shoulders contain zinc pyrithione, which helps slow down the production of skin cells.

In order for these to work the shampoo must be allowed to penetrate the scalp or affected area. So wash the hair twice. During the first wash you are aiming to dislodge any oil and scale by the detergent action of the shampoo which will then make it easier for the active ingredients to penetrate. Follow this with a second wash during which you should leave the shampoo on for around five minutes. Unless you leave it on for sufficient time it won’t have time to work. Many people lather and wash it straight off and then don’t understand why weeks later they still have dandruff.

If this treatment does not work then the next option I recommend my patients try is a shampoo containing ketoconazole such as Nizoral shampoo. Ketoconazole is a fungicide which helps kill off the yeast. This is available in 1% or 2% strength formulation, both of which are available over the counter in pharmacies. The active ingredient can be more effective than zinc pyrithione. You can use this every other day until the condition has calmed down, and then at the required frequency to control the flaking.

If this does not work then the next treatment to try is a coal tar shampoo such as T-gel, again available from chemists which works by chemically exfoliating (descaling) the excess skin cells as well as having an anti-inflammatory effect. These tend to smell of tar and can stain blonde hair slightly yellow.

Another way to dislodge thick scale is to apply olive oil to the scalp and leave it on for about an hour, then wash off as normal with shampoo. This softens the scale and makes it easier to dislodge.

Avoid scratching at dandruff as this can damage the hair shaft or irritate the scalp further.

If the dandruff does not respond to any of these treatments then visit your Dermatologist. Sometimes other skin conditions can also cause flaking on the scalp the most common being psoriasis, the cause of which is unknown. Psoriasis differs from dandruff in that it causes thick, hard patches of scale whereas dandruff tends to be thinner scale and is more widespread across the scalp.  However scalp psoriasis does require prescription treatment to control it so visit your doctor if you are unsure.

You can find more information about hair and scalp conditions and treatment options at The London Skin and Hair Clinic website.

Hair loss affects a large proportion of the population, including women and children. Our society puts a lot of value on appearance, and a full head of hair is sometimes viewed as an indication of good health, virility and beauty. Losing one’s hair, particularly at an early age, can be a highly distressing and upsetting. There are multiple reasons why people lose their hair, and many conditions which contribute. I won’t discuss the reasons in this article, but instead want to focus on the treatment used to slow the rate of hair loss, stop the hair loss, and encourage new hair growth. Given the highly emotive impact of hair loss, there are many products and so called ‘miracle-cures’ out in the market place. While there are no miracle-cures, clinical trials and medical research have demonstrated that a number of treatments do work for treating some types of hair loss. It is these treatments I will focus on in this article.

1. Eliminating the root cause

Lifestyle factors are over-rated with respect to hair loss, however a poor diet, low iron levels and stress can contribute to some forms of hair loss. With male patterned baldness, however, it has a purely genetic basis, but can be accelerated by the use of exogenous androgens (anabolic steroids).

2. Finasteride

Finasteride is a drug which blocks the conversion of Testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. It is mainly indicated for male patterned baldness where it can either reverse the miniaturisation process, slow it down or arrest it. This has been tested in large clinical studies and shown to be very effective for men. This drug is also used as an unlicenced indication, prescribed only by medical specialists, for female patterned hair loss.

3. Anti-androgen therapy

Anti-androgen therapy has been shown to be effective in women with female patterned hair loss. The drugs used include Spironolactone, Cyproterone Acetate and the oral contraceptive pill Dianette. A retrospective clinical study has shown that 80% of women can respond to this form of treatment, however regrowth is modest.

4. Topical formulations such as Minoxidil

Minoxidil is an effective topical treatment for some different forms of hair loss. It is mainly used for male and female patterned hair loss where it works to stimulate the hair follicles to produce a thicker hair at a faster rate. It also converts more of the resting hair follicles into the growing phase of the hair cycle. Topical Minoxidil is also used for chronic telogen effluvium and has been reported to stimulate hair growth in patients with alopecia areata. The recommended concentrations are the 5% lotions to be applied twice daily for men and the 2% lotion to be applied twice daily for women. In practice most people only manage to apply the solution on a daily basis. A 5% foam formulation is now available in the US but not yet in the United Kingdom.

5. Topical steroid creams

Inflammatory causes of hair loss or hair loss that have an auto-immune basis may respond to the application of a topical steroid lotion. Conditions such as scarring alopecia, lichen planopilaris or discoid lupus may respond to a topical steroid as may some cases of alopecia areata. Topical steroids will not help male or female patterned hair loss.

6. Injections into the scalp

Injections of low-dose steroid directly into the scalp can be very effective treatments for alopecia areata and some of the scarring alopecias. The dose, quantity and site of injection are all important in obtaining the best outcome without any side-effects.

7. Immunotherapy

For resistant cases of alopecia areata immunotherapy in the form of DCP therapy can sometimes be used with good results. This treatment involves making a patient allergic to a particular synthetic chemical and then using a weaker concentration of this chemical on the scalp on a weekly basis to try and elicit a mild dermatitis on the scalp. This treatment is time-consuming and fiddly and is offered only in specialist centres.

8. Systemic treatments such as tablets

For some of the scarring alopecias and more severe cases of alopecia areata systemic medications are sometimes required to slow down or arrest the inflammatory process. This may include antimalarial medications for some of the scarring alopecias or immunosuppressive medication for alopecia areata or the scarring alopecias. Very occasionally systemic steroids are indicated for rapid hair loss due to alopecia areata or some of the autoimmune scarring alopecias.

9. Biologics and other treatments

Recent research with some of the newer biologic agents which are delivered as injections into the body which are now being used for more severe cases of psoriasis have also been tested for some forms of hair loss. Unfortunately to date all the biologic medications have been disappointingly ineffective for alopecia areata. Another treatment sometimes cited in the literature is PUVA or phototherapy, however results of this treatment are slow and sporadic.

Unfortunately, there is a proportion of the population who do not respond to treatment to hair loss.

You can find more information about hair and scalp conditions and treatment options at The London Skin and Hair Clinic website.

We advise all of our patients to wear sunblock on their face every day as part of their skin care regime, not just to reduce the risk of skin cancer, but as the most effective single action one can take to reduce aging of the skin. In order to protect the skin it is important to look for a sunblock that protects against both Ultraviolet A (UVA) as well as ultraviolet B (UVB) rays and is of sufficient strength. SPF (sun protection factor) refers to protection from UVB rays and the number correlates to the degree of protection. An SPF of 15, for example, will give one 15 times their natural protection. In Europe a star system is used to grade UVA protection with 5 stars being the highest protection. I never recommend below an SPF15, but usually suggest SPF30 or above for general daily use. There is diminishing return as the SPF factor increases, in that the difference between SPF10 and 15 is greater than the difference between SPF45 and 50. Some countries cap the level of SPF that can be advertised to try and prevent people thinking they are “invincible” when using a high factor protection. Australia for example caps it’s advertising at SPF30, however a lot of sunblocks there have a higher SPF value.

Sunblocks have come a long way since the white thick creams of the past, and many are now suitable for everyday use, including gel formulations and lotions with a tint that can be worn under make-up. Ensure your chosen sunblock has a UVA filter.

Summer brings with it the opportunity to spend more time outdoors, increasing the degree of exposure to the sun. Even overcast or cloudy days present a risk from sun exposure and the exhilarating feeling of cool wind on the face can often mask the fact that one is being sunburnt.

For those spending time outdoors it is very important to apply a very high factor sunblock to all exposed skin, including under the nose and the ears. Don’t forget area’s like the back of the neck, or arms and legs. As some outdoor activities in summer can be strenuous and cause perspiration, make sure you reapply sunblock regularly. A tube of sunblock should be one of the essential pieces of kit you take out during a day out in summer.

Also pay special attention to your lips which are exposed to the elements and can be at risk of sun damage. Many lip balms do not have a satisfactory level of sun protection in them. Once again, choose a product that has a minimum SPF of 30 if you are on the snow and reapply regularly.

If you do get sunburnt, then aloe vera is a very good

You can find more information about Melanoma and skin cancer and other skin conditions and their treatment at The London Skin and Hair Clinic website.