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THE GOLDEN RULES ON PROTECTING YOUR SKIN THIS SUMMER
Mersey Life talk to Dr Abba Alkali is a Consultant Dermatologist at Spire Liverpool Hospital .
As summer arrives , we all start baring a bit more skin , the legs come out , the arms are on show and that bronze glow becomes all the more important to many of us on Merseyside !
Skin is our biggest organ making up about 15 % of our body weight . The average adult has nearly 21 square feet of skin that contains over 11 miles of blood vessels – it ’ s no wonder then that Dermatology is such a crucial area of expertise for Spire Liverpool .
Dr Abba Alkali is a Consultant Dermatologist at Spire Liverpool . He told us about some of the most common issues he deals with after the sun comes out …
What is something you see a lot of that might surprise us ? Believe it or not , people still using sunbeds . We still see a lot of people who come in concerned about changes in their skin or moles who use sunbeds , and they are something that really should be avoided . We see more skin cancers now generally in the UK compared to a few years ago , so it ’ s important that people are more aware of this and take action – don ’ t use them .
Summer is on the way ( fingers crossed ), what should we be doing from a preventative point of view to keep our skin safe ? High factor sun cream – I can ’ t stress this enough . It ’ s been particularly warm lately and it doesn ’ t matter whether you ’ re abroad or in the UK , it ’ s the same rules . You should be using 30 SPF or above and this should be applied every two or three hours ideally when you ’ re in the sun .
With any possible skin melanomas , the best treatment is to get it seen early . That goes for anything that might not be healing on the skin or anything getting bigger and painful .
What should we be keeping an eye out for ? If you have a mole or any brown lesion on the skin , you need to look whether there is any change in colour , whether there is any change in shape or whether there is any bleeding .
We do something called ABCDE which makes it a bit easier to remember . So , A – is for Asymmetry , is there any asymmetry with the mole , B – is Borders , does it have any abnormal or uneven edges ? C is Colour , is there any change in colour to what it is usually ? D is for Diameter , has the mole changed in size is it getting bigger ? And E is for Evolving , has the mole changed in size shape and colour ? If you ’ re in any doubt or concerned about anything at all then seek expert help from your GP or a Dermatologist .
What are the benefits of coming to Spire to see you ? We have a quick access to the service where normally for dermatology there are long waiting times . Since COVID , those waiting times have become longer due to a backlog in patients and sometimes people just want to be seen when it ’ s convenient for them , particularly if you want to check something .
There ’ s no need for a GP referral , you can self-refer and even book an appointment online as well as contacting the team .
The age-old question - Is there a secret to beautiful skin ? It ’ s simple , but basically , what you put in will show on your skin , so a good diet , drinking plenty of fluids , staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm and using sun cream is definitely going to help .
At Spire Liverpool Hospital , our consultants have wide experience in the latest techniques and innovations and our inclusive prices and access to 0 % finance options make the process easy and more affordable .
For further information on our broad range of procedures , and to find out more about our team of expert Consultants , search ‘ Spire Liverpool ’ or call our specialist advisors on 0151 391 7157 .
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