DR Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
Dr Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s resident doctor and is here to help you
See h3health.co.uk and email at [email protected].
Q: I AM an 83-year-old man and for the last month I have had a pain in my right temple.
It isn’t constant but is there quite often.
I have noticed it sometimes starts if I look upwards at something but other times it comes on for no reason at all.
Should I go to the doctor?
David Barnes, Carlisle
A: It is so important that you see your GP.
We live in a time when many people go to their GP with trivial or non-medical issues.
I have had patients come to see me to ask if I could advise them on travel insurance, making wills, and to check their teeth even though I’m not a dentist.
Conversely, we also have a situation where some people feel they are being a burden if they have to go to see their doctor about a new medical problem – and this will never, ever, be the case.
We all get the occasional pain, but if it is consistent or repetitive and is associated with a change in function, in your case when looking up, you must go and see your doctor.
It may turn out to be nothing, but unless you get it checked you will not know.
It is far better to be safe than sorry, and to see your doctor, that is what they are there for.
Q: I HAVE had sebaceous psoriasis for many years.
It is mainly on my scalp, eyebrows and moustache, as well as my nose and forehead.
It is like cradle cap.
Is there anything new I can use on it because the old treatments that
I was given aren’t doing anything to clear it up?
Gordon Smith, Cardiff
A: Psoriasis is a long-term skin condition, caused by inflammation of the skin.
Symptoms vary, from some people noticing a few areas of red and inflamed skin patches, to others suffering with widespread itchy plaques over the whole body, hair and nails, as well as connective tissue problems and arthritis.
Scalp psoriasis affects mainly the areas of the body with hair on them, and around 50 per cent of people with chronic plaque psoriasis are affected.
In some cases, only the scalp symptoms occur, and it may look a little like cradle cap or bad dandruff.
There are lots of treatments available, specifically for the hairline and scalp.
They vary from special shampoos, to topical steroids, vitamin D treatments, and even UV light therapy and immune-modulating drugs.
The best thing to do is to speak to your doctor, and explain to them that the treatments you have previously been prescribed are not working.
You can then ask to be seen by a dermatologist.