Patient Education

Acanthosis nigricans is a fairly common skin pigmentation disorder. The most notable sign of acanthosis nigricans is dark patches of skin with a thick, velvety texture. The affected areas of skin may also itch or have an odor. These patches may appea...

Acne is the medical term for pimples. Acne is a very common skin condition characterised by comedones (blackheads and whiteheads) and pus-filled spots (pustules). It usually starts at puberty (after age of 12) and varies in severity from a few spots ...

Alopecia is a general term for hair loss. Alopecia areata is a common cause of non-scarring (does not cause scarring to the scalp) hair loss that can occur at any age. It usually causes small, coin-sized, round patches of baldness on the scalp, altho...

Androgenic alopecia is also called as Male pattern hair loss(MPHL) .(MPHL) is the most common cause of hair loss in men. It happens with progressive loss of terminal hair in very specific way for both male. In males hair loss starts at top of head an...

Atopic eczema is a very common skin condition due to skin inflammation. It may start at any age but the onset is often in childhood. The term ‘atopic’ is used to describe a group of conditions, which include asthma, eczema and hay-fever and food ...

Balanitis is an inflammation of the glans penis(head of penis), when skin over glans is affected then it is called as Balanoposthitis. It is quiet common condition and affect males at least once in their lifetime....

‘Naevus’ is the Latin word for birthmark. It is called Becker’s after the name of the American Dermatologist that described it. Becker’s naevus is sometimes called ‘Becker’s melanosis’ or ‘pigmented hairy epidermal naevus’. Becker�...

A boil, or furuncle, is an abscess (infection) of the skin or in the deep part hair follicles. The infection is usually caused by bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Occasionally the infection may spread into the surrounding tissues (c...

There are two types of topical calcineurin inhibitors called tacrolimus ointment (Protopic 0.03% and 0.1%) and pimecrolimus cream (Elidel). They are classified as immunomodulating agents...

Erysipelas and cellulitis are common infections of the skin. Erysipelas is a superficial infection, affecting the upper layers of the skin, while cellulitis affects the deeper tissues. They can overlap, so it is not always possible to make a definite...

Chemical peeling is a simple office procedure , safe & effective in learned hands ,affordable to most. Procedure where in a chemical agent of defined strength is applied to the skin, Causes a controlled destruction of the layers of the skin, Followed...

Chondrodermatitis nodularis is common, harmless, painful condition of the skin of the ear. This is an inflammation of both the cartilage (chondro-) and of the skin.....

It is common infection of skin around nail. There are two types – ‘acute paronychia’ and ‘chronic paronychia’. Acute paronychiya starts suddenly and gets cure early with treatment while chronic paronychiya develops slowly, may present in e...

Contact Dermatitis and contact eczema mean the same thing. Contact dermatitis describes inflammation that is caused by direct skin contact with something in your environment. There are two main types of contact dermatitis: – Irritant contact dermat...

Amyloidosis or ‘amyloid’ is group of rare diseases in which abnormal proteins, accumulate in various organs including the skin. The name ‘amyloid’ was given to the condition over 150 years ago because the deposits looked like starch under the...

Vasculitis is a term referring to inflammation of blood vessels; these may be arteries, veins or both, and can affect any part of the body. When vasculitis affects small or medium sized blood vessels in the skin, it is known as cutaneous vasculitis. ...

It is a rare inherited skin condition is characterised by a change in the way skin cells (keratinocytes) stick together within the upper layer of the skin (epidermis). This leads to changes in the skin and nails, and inside the mouth can sometimes be...

A dermatofibroma is a common overgrowth of the fibrous tissue situated in the dermis (the deeper of the two main layers of the skin). It is benign (harmless) and will not turn into a cancer. Whilst dermatofibromas are harmless, they can be similar in...

A digital myxoid cyst (sometimes called a mucous cyst) is a non-cancerous swelling that occurs on the fingers or, sometimes, the toes. The cyst is often connected to the lining of the finger or toenail joint, and is usually located between the joint ...

DLE is an uncommon skin rash, usually made worse by exposure to sunlight. ‘Discoid’ lupus erythematosus is confined to the skin and is not associated with symptoms from other organs....

Erythema multiforme (EM) is a hypersensitivity reaction which tends to develop suddenly. It is predominantly seen in young adults. It is rarely seen in children but can occur in any age group. Erythema multiforme is characterised by the sudden devel...

Erythema Nodosum (EN) is a skin condition that is characterised by painful red, rounded lumps which appear on the shins and around the ankles, and less commonly the thighs and forearms. It can occur at any age, in both sexes, and in anyone. These lu...

Hairs are formed within the skin in tiny structures known as hair follicles. The word folliculitis describes inflammation of hair follicles and may happen anywhere on the body. The term folliculitis barbae is inflammation of hair follicles in the bea...

Fox-Fordyce disease is a rare skin disorder affecting the apocrine sweat glands. These are special sweat glands found in the armpits, genital region and breasts that produce a more dense secretion than the normal or ‘eccrine’ sweat glands found e...

Granuloma annulare is an uncommon skin condition, which most often affects children and young adults but can occur at any age. It is twice as common in women as in men. The reason for this is unknown. It usually presents as groups of small firm bumps...

A ‘haemangioma’ (Greek for blood-vessel-growth) of Infancy is a benign (not cancerous) overgrowth of blood vessel cells that is self-limiting (will stop growing without treatment). The term ‘strawberry naevus’ or ‘strawberry haemangioma’ ...

Hailey-Hailey disease is also known as familial benign chronic pemphigus. It was originally described by the Hailey brothers. It is a rare inherited skin condition in which there are red scaly areas that can be itchy and sore, that can lead to superf...

Multiple factors are involved in women’s hair loss. Some of the common causes are nutritional, hormonal, beauty parlour related activities. Nutrition and Hair Loss in Women Nowadays, we forget the thali system, which.....

Hair transplantation – also called follicular unit transplantation, is a surgical procedure that involves moving hair follicles from one part of the body (donor) to another area (recipient) where additional hair density is desired...

Hand dermatitis is also called hand eczema. It is common and can affect about one in every 20 people. It can start in childhood as part of an in-built tendency to eczema, but is commonest in teenagers and adults. Hand dermatitis may be a short-lived,...

There are two herpes simplex viruses that cause skin infection. They are called herpes simplex type 1 and type 2. They can be transferred from person to person by direct skin to skin contact with the affected place when enough virus is present. This ...

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a long term, recurrent, and painful disease in which there is inflammation (redness, tenderness and swelling) in areas of skin containing apocrine sweat glands. These glands are found mainly in the armpits, breasts and gro...

Hirsutism refers to excessive growth of dark, thick and coarse hair in an individual (usually female) in a male pattern. Commonly affected areas are upper lips, chin, central chest, midline of the stomach, lower back, buttocks and front of thighs. Is...

Hyperhidrosis means excessive sweating. It can be localised or affect the whole face and body. Sweating is controlled by the brain, which sends signals along nerves called “sympathetic nerves” to the small sweat glands in the skin. These nerves a...

Impetigo is a bacterial infection of the surface of the skin. Impetigo is usually due to a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus. These germs pass from person to person by skin-to-skin contact or, less often, by bedding, clothing and towels. Impetigo...

This leaflet has been written to help you understand more about intralesional steroid therapy. It explains what intralesional steroid therapy is, what is involved, and what the potential side effects are...

When a wound heals, it leaves a scar. A keloid (also called a keloid scar) is the name given to a scar that overgrows and becomes larger than the original wound. It is not uncommon for a scar to become slightly thick and raised. This is called a hype...

Keratosis pilaris (KP) is a very common and may be present in half the population. It is a completely harmless skin condition. It affects 50-70% of adolescents and approximately 40% of adults. Its name gives some idea of what it is; ‘keratosis’ m...

Latex is a milky sap from plants like the tropical rubber tree. It contains a mixture of water, sugar and proteins. The sap is collected by drilling into the tree and used to make rubber items such as household gloves and medical gloves, shoes, tyres...

Lichen planopilaris is a type of scarring hair loss that occurs when a relatively common skin disease, known as lichen planus, affects areas of skin where there is hair. Lichen planopilaris destroys the hair follicle and then replaces it with scarrin...

In dermatology, the word ‘lichen’ means small bumps on the skin and ‘planus’ means ‘flat’, so the name comes from a description of the rash’s appearance. Lichen planus is a fairly common (0.2-1% of the population worldwide), itchy, non-...

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory skin condition which can affect any part of the skin, but it most often affects the genital skin (vulva) and the skin around the anus. It can start in childhood – or adulthood (usually after the menopause)...

The term ‘lichen’ is Latin and means a plant-like moss covering trees. Lichen simplex describes a response to the skin being repeatedly scratched or rubbed over a long period of time (also called lichen simplex chronicus). A single or multiple pl...

Melasma, also called ‘chloasma’ and ‘pregnancy mask’, is a common skin condition of adults in which brown or greyish patches of pigmentation (colour) develop, usually on the face. The name comes from melas, the Greek word for black, or cholas...

Microneedling is a very simple, safe, effective, and minimally invasive procedure. It was initially introduced for skin rejuvenation. It is used for a very wide range of skin conditions including acne scar, post-traumatic/burn scar, alopecia, skin...

Morphoea is a rare skin disorder/ disease / complaint where areas of skin become much thicker and firmer than normal. Morphoea usually affects a few small areas of the skin. Very rarely, it can occur over larger areas of the body in a form called �...

‘Pruritus’ is the word doctors often use for itching. ‘Prurigo’ is a related word, which describes the changes that appear in the skin after it has been itched and scratched for a long time. In nodular prurigo these changes look like firm ver...

This leaflet has been written to help you understand more about oral treatment with corticosteroids. It tells you what it is, what it is used for, what its effects are, and where you can find out more about it...

Palmoplantar (palmo meaning palm of the hand, plantar meaning sole of the foot) pustulosis is a persistent (chronic) condition which causes blisters filled with fluid on the palms and the soles of the feet. It can sometimes occur with the skin condit...

Papular urticarial is allergic reaction of skin to insect bites. It is common in children who have atopy or dry skin. The main function of our skin is barrier function, it protects from environmental factors. Children with dry skin have nonefficient ...

Pemphigoid is a rare blistering disorder, which usually occurs in later life, the average age of onset being over 70 years. The blisters come up on the skin and, less often, in the mouth too. Nobody fully understands its cause, but pemphigoid is clas...

Peri-oral dermatitis is a common skin condition that more commonly affects women aged 20 to 50 years old. It usually causes persistent redness or small bumps (papules) and sometimes pus containing spots (pustules)....

Pityriasis alba is a common skin complaint of children and young adults. It appears as pink/pale, scaly patches which later leave pale areas on the skin. These pale areas are more noticeable in people with skin of colour, and more pronounced after ex...

Pityriasis lichenoides is a rare skin disorder of unknown cause. There are two types of pityriasis lichenoides: an acute form usually found in children known as pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA), and a more longlasting form known ...

Pityriasis rosea is a common rash that is usually mild and lasts about 6 to 8 weeks. Its name means that the rash has a fine-scale (pityriasis) and it tends to be pink (Rosea)...

Pityriasis rubra pilaris is a rare long-term inflammatory skin condition. The name means scaling (pityriasis), redness (rubra) and involvement of the hair follicles (pilaris). It affects all races and sexes equally. It is classified into 6 clinical t...

Pityriasis means a type of fine skin scaling, and versicolor means changing colour. It is a common and harmless rash due to the overgrowth of yeasts that live on everyone’s skin. These yeasts, called Malassezia, are not related to yeast in food or ...

Warts are localised thickenings of the skin, and the term ‘plantar warts’ is used for those that occur on the soles of the feet (the ‘plantar’ surface). They are also known as verrucas. Warts are caused by infection in the outer layer of the ...

Plasma is the liquid portion of whole blood. It is composed largely of water and proteins, and it provides a medium for red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets to circulate through the body....

Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy is a relatively common skin disorder that can occur in women during pregnancy. It usually presents within a women’s first pregnancy. ...

The term ‘light eruption’ means a rash that comes up after exposure to light. ‘Polymorphic’ is two words; ‘poly’ means ‘many’, and ‘morphic’ means ‘forms’. In other words, the rash of PLE can take on many different forms, incl...

A Port Wine Stain is a collection of abnormally formed blood vessels (capillaries) in the skin, which results in a red mark that may have the colour of port wine. Although most Port Wine Stains are present at birth, it has been reported in few cases ...

‘Pruritus’ means itching. Pruritus ani is itching around the opening of the back passage (the anus). It is a symptom with many causes, but sometimes no obvious cause can be found. Pruritus ani is common and occurs more often in men than women....

Pseudofolliculitis, also known as ‘shaving bumps’, or ‘razor bumps’, is inflammation of hair follicles and surrounding skin, caused by hairs trapped beneath the skin surface. It appears similar to folliculitis, which is inflammation of hair f...

Psoriasis is a common skin disease affecting 1 in 50 people. It occurs equally in men and women. It can appear at any age. Psoriasis is a long-term condition which may come and go throughout your lifetime. It is not infectious; therefore you cannot c...

Rosacea is a common skin condition, usually occurring on the face, which predominantly affects fair-skinned but may affect all skin types in people aged 40 to 60 years old. It is more common in women but when affecting men, it may be more severe. It ...

Scabies is a common and very itchy skin condition caused by a tiny mite called Sarcoptes Scabiei. It can affect people of any age but is most common in the young and the elderly. The mites that cause scabies are tiny parasites, smaller than a pinhead...

‘Dermatitis’ is a red, itchy, flaky (inflamed) skin complaint; ‘seborrhoeic’ means that the rash affects greasy (sebaceous) skin zones such as the face, scalp and centre of the chest. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is very common and many people don�...

Seborrhoeic keratoses (SK) are also known as seborrhoeic warts, and as basal cell papillomas. They are benign growths due to a build-up of skin cells. SK are very common, harmless, often pigmented, growths on the skin. They are not infectious and do ...

What are the aims of this leaflet? This leaflet has been written to help you understand more about shingles and explain what it is, what causes it, how it can be treated, and where more information can be found about it....

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is a painful, blistering skin condition which may cover a wide area of skin, caused by a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus....

It is normal to shed approximately 30-150 hairs from our scalp daily as part of our hair cycle, but this can vary depending on washing and brushing routines. Hair regrows automatically so that the total number of hairs on our head remains constant. T...

Tinea is general medical term used for fungal infection. According to area of body different names are given for fungal infection such as tinea capitis for fungal infection of scalp, tinea corporis for fungal infection of body , tinea cruris for inf...

Urticaria is a common illness affecting up to 20% of people (one in 5 people) at some point in their lives. Urticaria presents with highly itchy raised skin reactions known as weals (also known as hives) that may be round or ring-shaped and may join ...

Venous eczema is also known as varicose or stasis eczema and is the name given to a type of eczema on the lower leg. The word eczema (or dermatitis) refers to a common inflammatory skin condition....

Vitiligo is a persistent or chronic condition in which areas of skin lose their normal pigment and become very pale or pink. It is common, affecting about 1% of the world’s population. It can start at any age after birth, but in more than half of p...

Vitiligo -is a persistent condition in which areas of skin lose their normal pigment and become very pale or pink. It can start at any age after birth. The extent of the condition is unpredictable, varying from single small patches to total loss of s...

Zoon’s balanitis describes inflammation of the head of the penis (glans penis) and foreskin. It usually affects middle-aged to elderly men who have not been circumcised. It is thought that Zoon’s balanitis is a reaction to another underlying cond...