Here’s our top tips on how to maintain healthy skin:

Acne

Acne is a very common skin condition that can affect most people, particularly during adolescence. It’s normal to get the odd spot, but if you’re regularly experiencing outbreaks of spots, especially if they’re red, painful and widespread, this could be a sign of acne.

What is acne?

Acne is characterised by spots, ranging from blackheads to pus-filled cysts, that tend to occur on the face, back and chest but isn’t infectious. Although some people may only get a few spots, other people will suffer from widespread breakouts that can cause scarring.

Acne is commonly associated with adolescence because of hormonal changes which increase the production of sebum, an oily secretion produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin. This mixes with dead skin cells to block pores, causing the spots. It also encourages more skin bacteria to grow, which can infect the pores.

How is acne diagnosed?

With mild symptoms, i.e. blackheads, whiteheads, and only a few papules or pustules, you may want to start by talking to a pharmacist. This is because mild acne symptoms can often be treated with over-the-counter products, which can be purchased with the advice of a pharmacist.

If you’re worried about your symptoms, you shouldn’t hesitate to visit your local LloydsPharmacy and speak to one of our skin specialists for advice and support.

How can you help manage acne?

There are many acne treatments so it can be difficult to decide which one’s best for you. However, the best way to manage your acne is to cleanse, treat and moisturise. You should use this routine while using over-the-counter or prescription treatments, and even if you start seeing improvements in your acne.

It’s the best way to keep your skin healthy in the long term. Finding the products that work best for your skin might require a bit of trial and error, as everyone’s different. But if you need any advice at all, just come in store and ask the pharmacy team.

We know that even mild acne can be upsetting, so if you have any concerns talk to one of our highly trained skin specialists. They can offer you advice and support on how to manage your acne and put your mind at rest. They can also recommend if you should visit your doctor. You can also talk to your pharmacist if any treatment you’ve bought or that your doctor has prescribed isn’t working, and we’ll try to recommend an alternative for you.

Remember, it’s important to speak to your doctor if:

• You develop nodules (hard lumps under your skin which are often painful) or cysts (pus-filled lumps), as these can result in scarring.
• You suspect that a baby or young child has acne.

Eczema

What is eczema?

Eczema is a skin condition that causes the skin to be itchy, dry, red, broken, scaly, thickened and cracked. In the event of a ‘flare-up’, skin gets progressively worse and can become extremely itchy, red, hot, dry and scaly, wet, weeping and swollen, and infected with bacteria. There are lots of different types of eczema. The most common is atopic eczema, which starts in childhood and is an inherited condition that’s often linked to asthma and hay fever. Other types of eczema include:

• Allergic eczema - which is triggered by contact with an allergen or irritant.
• Gravitational or varicose eczem - which occurs on your legs when you have poor blood flow.
• Hand eczema, or dermatitis - mainly affects the palms but can also affect other parts of the hand. This is one of the most common types of eczema.

How can you treat eczema?

• Start using an emollient. Adding an emollient, a moisturising treatment, to your skincare routine can help to soothe eczema symptoms. These are in the form of creams to be applied to skin when it is dry, oils which can be used when bathing and washes for showering. Our skincare specialist or pharmacists can help you choose the best emollient for you.
• Ask your pharmacist about topical corticosteroids. Topical corticosteroids are medicated creams and ointments that can help to soothe the symptoms of an eczema flare-up. Unlike emollients, they should only be applied to affected areas of skin when you’re experiencing symptoms. The steroids in the cream will help to reduce inflammation and irritation.
• Ask your pharmacist about antihistamines. Another treatment used by people with eczema is antihistamines. These are usually recommended for people who are experiencing severe itching as a result of their eczema. The treatment works by limiting the effects of the allergic reaction that is causing the flare-up.

How you can help manage your eczema?

• Make a note of anything you think may have triggered a flare-up and try to avoid it in the future.
• Make sure you fully understand how to use your eczema treatments. Your eczema is more likely to be controlled if you use your emollients every day for washing and moisturising.
• Learn to recognise flares-ups and signs of skin infections so you can treat them promptly.
• Keep your fingernails cut short to minimise damage from scratching and reduce the risk of infection. Cotton gloves or socks can be worn over hands at night-time.
• If bedtime itching is disrupting your sleep, keep the bedroom cool and use cotton linen and nightwear. You can also talk to your doctor about wraps, bandages or having some sedating antihistamines prescribed on a short-term basis to reduce night-time itching.
• If you have any concerns at all about your eczema, speak to our highly trained colleagues or a health care professional.

What are the signs of an infection?

The following symptoms may be a sign that you have an infection:

• Your skin appears scabby and may weep or discharge pus.
• Your eczema doesn’t respond to normal emollient and topical steroid treatment, and suddenly gets worse.
• You feel generally unwell, feverish, lethargic and have a high temperature.
• If you notice any of these make an appointment to see your doctor and tell them you think you have a bacterial infection. In the meantime, don’t use bandages or cover the eczema.

What can trigger eczema?

There are many triggers that can cause eczema flare-ups and more often caused by environmental factors. In some cases, it could be obvious what’s doing it, but sometimes it could take a little longer to work out. Triggers can include, but aren’t limited to:

• Soaps and detergents
• Animal fur, hair, skin cells or saliva
• House dust mites
• Perfumes
• Central heating
• Moulds
• Dust
• Foods like egg, wheat, nuts and milk
• Sweating
• Stress
• Pollens
• Materials like synthetic fabrics and wool
• Humidity and changes in temperature
• Chemical agents

Psoriasis

The best way to deal with psoriasis isn’t to fit your life around your treatment… it’s to fit your treatment around your life. That way psoriasis won’t stop you from doing the things that you need to do or enjoy.

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is caused by a speeding up of the normal skin cell replacement process. Usually, skin cells take about 21- 28 days to replace themselves, but in psoriasis they’re replaced much quicker - every 2-6 days. This leads to a build-up of skin cells on the surface of the skin called a plaque. Plaques are small red patches of skin covered in silvery scales, which can vary in shape and size but have well defined edges. They cause the skin to be itchy, painful, sore, red, scaly and irritating.

There are different types of psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis affects their elbows, knees, lower back and scalp, although it can affect any area on the body. Guttate psoriasis is more common in children and teenagers. It often follows a throat infection and appears as a much smaller, more generalised rash of scaly patches up to 1cm². Other types of psoriasis include scalp, flexural, pustular, erythrodermic, arthritic psoriasis and psoriasis of the nail.

The most common age to develop psoriasis is between 11 and 45 years, but it can occur at any age and affect men and women equally. Psoriasis can be a hereditary condition that for some people is relatively mild affecting only small areas, while for others it can be much worse.

How you can help manage your psoriasis?

• Make a note of anything you think may have triggered a flare-up and try to avoid it in the future.
• Try not to scratch, even if it feels itchy, as this only makes the itching worse. Keep your fingernails cut short to minimise damage.
• Establish a treatment regime but don’t let it rule your life.
• Apply emollients regularly and generously to moisturise your skin, reduce itching and even allow other preparations to work more effectively.
• Use emollients as soap substitutes in the bath or shower instead of fragranced bubble bath or shower gel.
• On the advice of your pharmacist or doctor, apply topical steroids thinly during flare-ups to reduce inflammation.
• Coal tar preparations can be used to treat scalp psoriasis – they can stain or be smelly, but they are effective.
• Ask your doctor about other treatments that can help. They could include Vitamin D analogues, which in the long-term can promote normal cell growth, dithranol which can be used on specific plaques for short-term therapy, and Vitamin A derivatives, for use on well-defined plaques.
• If you have any concerns at all about your psoriasis, speak to the pharmacy team or your doctor.

What can trigger psoriasis?

Environmental factors can ‘trigger’ psoriasis or make existing psoriasis worse. Triggers can include, but aren’t limited to:

• Stress and emotional upset
• Alcohol in excess
• Changes in climate
• Puberty, menopause, pregnancy
• Injury to skin, i.e. a scratch
• Bites
• Smoking
• General illness
• Weakened immune system
• Infection
• Sunburn

If you’re concerned about your skin symptoms and you think you may be experiencing psoriasis, make an appointment with your GP.

Children’s skin

Childhood rashes are very common, and more often than not they’re pretty harmless and will go away on their own. But if your child has a rash and feels unwell, or if you're worried at all, just talk to our pharmacy team or your doctor. We’ll help you to find out what’s causing it and the best way to treat it, putting your mind at rest.

Eczema

Eczema is children is very common. On average, there could be up to 6 children in every classroom with eczema. It’s important to talk to your child about their eczema and encourage them to be involved in looking after their skin.

How you can help your child manage their eczema?

• Make a note of anything you think may have triggered a flare-up and try to avoid it in the future.
• Make sure you fully understand how to apply your child’s treatments. Your child’s eczema is more likely to be controlled if they use their emollients every day for washing and moisturising.
• Learn to recognise flares-ups and signs of skin infections so you can treat them promptly.
• Keep your child’s fingernails cut short to minimise damage from scratching and reduce the risk of infection. Cotton gloves or socks can be worn over hands at night-time.
• If bedtime itching is disrupting your child’s sleep, keep the bedroom cool and use cotton linen and nightwear. You can also talk to your doctor about wraps, bandages or having some antihistamines prescribed on a short-term basis to reduce night-time itching.
• Make sure your child has regular reviews with their health visitor, nurse or GP.
• If you have any concerns at all about your child’s eczema, come in store and speak to our skin specialists or pharmacists.

What are the signs of an infection?

• Their skin appears scabby and may weep or discharge pus.
• Their eczema doesn’t respond to normal emollient and topical steroid treatment and suddenly gets worse.

• They feel generally unwell, feverish, lethargic and have a high temperature.

If you notice any of these make an appointment to see your doctor and tell them you think your child has a bacterial infection. In the meantime, don’t use bandages or cover the eczema.

We understand it’s important for you and your child to be able to manage their eczema. Our highlight trained colleagues can offer advice and support to you both about their medicines to make sure they’re being used properly.

Psoriasis

How you can help your child manage their psoriasis?

• Talk to your child about their psoriasis and encourage them to be involved in managing it.
• If bedtime itching is disrupting your child’s sleep, keep the bedroom cool and use cotton linen and nightwear. You can also talk to your doctor about wraps, bandages or having some sedating antihistamines prescribed on a short-term basis to reduce night-time itching.
• Keep your child included in all decisions about their treatment.
• Tell your child’s teachers and/or carers about their condition and make sure they always have some emollient with them.

Skin Rashes

If you are suffering from a skin rash and are unsure how to treat it, our highly trained skin specialists and pharmacists can offer support and advice of what the best treatment for you is.

Chickenpox

Chickenpox is a common but mild viral illness that normally affects children under 10, although you can catch it at any age. Symptoms include a rash with red, itchy spots that can quickly turn into fluid-filled blisters. The blisters burst then they then crust over to form scabs, which eventually drop off.
Treatment for chickenpox includes calamine lotion, paracetamol for any fever and antihistamines for itching.

Shingles

Shingles is an infection of a nerve and the skin around it. It is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Shingles usually affects a specific area on either the left or right side of the body and does not cross past the belly button. It causes a painful rash, which develops into itchy blisters. Most people will feel unwell for several days before the rash appears. Treatment for shingles includes calamine lotion, pain relief, antihistamines for itching and occasionally a doctor will prescribe medication for the associated tingling sensation and nerve pain.

Athletes foot

Athlete’s foot is a common condition caused by a fungal infection. An itchy red rash develops in the spaces between your toes, commonly the 4th and 5th toes. As well as being itchy, the skin in the affected area may be scaly, flaky and dry. Treatment for athletes foot includes antifungal creams, ointments, gels, sprays. Foot and shoe sprays/powders can also be used as prevention by absorbing moisture.

Fungal nail infection

Fungal nail infection is a common problem and around half of all nail problems are due to a fungal infection. Fungal nail infection is about four times more common in toenails than fingernails and can involve all or part of the nail, including the nail plate, nail bed and root of the nail. It usually affects adults, especially men, and becomes more common as you get older.  Treatment for fungal nail infections includes antifungal nail paints available from LloydsPharmacy or a prescription for tablets from your GP. Fungal nail infections are persistent treatment can often last or 6-9 months.

Cold sore

Cold sores are small blisters that develop on the lips or around the mouth. They start as a tingling sensation, then develop as raised, red, painful blisters that can be filled with a white fluid. They are caused by the herpes simplex virus and usually clear up without treatment within 7-10 days. Treatment for cold sores include antiviral cold sore creams and gels available from LloydsPharmacy.

Verruca’s and warts

Verruca’s and warts are small, rough lumps on the skin that often appear on the hands and feet. A wart on the sole of the foot is called a verruca. The clinical name for a verruca is a plantar wart. Warts are caused by infection with a virus known as the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV causes keratin, a hard protein in the top layer of the skin (the epidermis) to grow too much. This produces the rough, hard texture of a wart. Treatments for verruca’s and warts include acid based products and freeze sprays which are available from LloydsPharmacy.

Measles

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness and is most common in children aged between one and four years old, however, it can infect anyone who has not been vaccinated. The rash develops after 3-4 days of feeling unwell with cold like symptoms. Small white spots can be seen inside the mouth initially followed by a red-brown spotty rash. The spots will disappear when pressed with a glass. If you suspect you or your loved one has measles, contact your GP to confirm. If there are no complications, treat the cold like symptoms and as it is highly infectious avoid anyone who had not been vaccinated or already had measles.

Ringworm

Ringworm is a common fungal skin infection that causes a circular ring-like red rash on the skin that gradually spreads. The rash can appear almost anywhere on the body, with the scalp, feet and groin being common areas. Ringworm isn't serious and is usually easily treated. Treatment for ringworm includes antifungal creams available from LloydsPharmacy.