Volume 17, Number 4

Barry Monk MA FRCP Consultant Dermatologist, Bedford Hospital

I used to think that I was quite good at managing skin cancer; I have certainly seen enough of it over the years. I have always consulted next door to my plastic surgeon, and we have had an excellent system of asking each others’ opinions on difficult cases. Until very recently, when the lab was moved, our histopathologist worked just round the corner, so we could easily get his opinion as well, and occasionally we even brought him round to see a case before we biopsied it.

Gavin P Spickett MA DPhil LLM FRCPath FRCP FRCP(E) Consultant Clinical Immunologist, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Part 2 of this two-part article discusses the management of anaphylaxis and angioedema. Part 1 (causes and diagnosis) was published in Dermatology in practice 17.3.

Barry Monk MA FRCP Consultant Dermatologist, Bedford Hospital

It is said that 25% of new attendances in general practice are for skin disorders. It was, therefore, appropriate that the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) ran, on 22 September 2009, a conference (Clinical update: Dermatology for general physicians and GPs) that focused on the sort of acute dermatological problems presenting to non-specialists.

Barry Monk, DIP Editorial Board member; Christopher Tidman, DIP Publisher Emeritus

Dr Neil Cox, Editor of Dermatology in practice (DIP), died on 8 December 2009 at the age of 53. Along with his colleagues, the team at Hayward Medical Communications was shocked and deeply saddened by his sudden death. Here, Barry Monk and Christopher Tidman pay tribute to an outstanding clinician and a remarkable man.

Sweta Rai MRCP Specialist Registrar; Ian Coulson BSc FRCP Consultant Dermatologist, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Pityriasis (tinea) versicolor (PV) is an extremely common skin eruption seen in daily clinical practice. It is a benign, superficial skin infection caused by the Pityrosporum yeast family. Its prevalence is as high as 40% in tropical climates. No precise data are available for its incidence in the UK, but it is thought to be less than 1% in colder climates, with an increase in cases during the hot and humid months of the year.

Carole Heatly, Rino Cerio, Firas Al Niaimi, Tom Poyner, Gavin P Spickett and Julie Bowman MBE

Following the death of Dr Neil Cox, Editor of Dermatology in practice (DIP), we received many messages from his colleagues expressing their sadness – but also their appreciation of his work and his achievements – which we would like to share with you here.

Rubeta N Matin BSc(Hons) MBBS MRCP MRC Clinical Research Fellow, Centre for Cutaneous Research, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Queen Mary, University of London; Rino Cerio BSc FRCP(Lon) FRCP(Edin) FRCPath DipRCPath ICDP Consultant Dermatologist, Director of Clinical Academic Unit of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, Barts and The London NHS Trust; Reader in Dermatopathology, Institute of Pathology, Royal London Hospital

Primary cutaneous melanoma is a skin tumour with an increasing incidence and a significant mortality rate. Lymph node involvement is an indicator of poor prognosis and can be investigated using the technique of sentinel node biopsy (SNB). The ‘sentinel’ lymph node (SLN), identified using dyes and radioactive colloids, is the first lymph-draining node from the site of the tumour. In this article, we discuss the technique of SNB and its role in the management of patients with melanoma.

Firas Al Niaimi MSc MRCP Specialist Registrar, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester; Richard B Warren BSc(Hons) MBChB(Hons) MRCP PhD Honorary Consultant Dermatologist, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust; Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester; Christopher EM Griffiths MD FRCP FRCPath Honorary Consultant Dermatologist, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust; Professor of Dermatology, University of Manchester

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder with a prevalence of 2% in Caucasians. The most common clinical presentation is chronic plaque psoriasis; however, other subtypes, such as guttate and flexural psoriasis, are frequently encountered. Most cases (75%) of chronic plaque psoriasis present before the age of 40 (early-onset or type 1 psoriasis); late-onset cases presenting after the age of 40 years are classified as type 2 psoriasis. Severe forms of the disease can be associated with increased mortality and morbidity.

Anja Weidmann MRCP MB ChB ST4 Dermatology, Macclesfield District General Hospital; Robin Stones MB ChB MRCGP DRCOG Dip Derm(Glasgow) BTEC Lasers Specialist Doctor in Dermatology, Macclesfield District General Hospital; Medical Director, Court House Clinics Ltd, Stockport; Tamara Griffiths MD Consultant Dermatologist, Macclesfield District General Hospital; Honorary Lecturer, School of Translational Medicine, University of Manchester

The pursuit of young-looking, smooth, ‘glowing’ skin has preoccupied humanity for thousands of years. Cosmetics to enhance the appearance have been a common recourse, but many have sought more invasive methods of reversing the evidence of passing years.