Winter Health Woes

An article in the Daily Mail looks at the common winter health ailments and the treatments that claim to help, from silver gloves to chilli cream. 

Dr Ross Perry was among those expert doctors invited to give his advice on the products and treatments available.

The headline introduces the situation saying:

“Pharmacy shelves are now stacked with products that promise to help with a variety of winter ailments, but are they any good?

“We asked Dr Gill Jenkins, a GP in Bristol, Dr Ross Perry, a dermatologist and medical director of Cosmedics skin clinics in Harley Street, London, and Dr Sundeept Bhalara, a consultant rheumatologist at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, for their views.”

As the expert on skin conditions, Dr Ross Perry was invited to give his opinion on treatments for cold sores and dry skin.

Cold Sores

The Daily Mail feature asked Ross for his views on Lipivir gel (£8.99/2g), which contains polyethylene glycols (PEGs). Dr Ross Perry told the Daily Mail:

“Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus, which once caught remains in your body for life. Flare-ups occur when the virus is reactivated; known triggers for this include cold weather, probably as it can dry out lips.

“PEGs are petroleum-based compounds used frequently in skin products as they are pretty effective moisturisers. Preventing the lips from drying out can be helpful as cracked lips are more hospitable to the herpes virus. However, there is no robust evidence that PEGs can help prevent cold sore flare-ups or have a specific antiviral effect.

“If you find your cold sores are triggered by the cold, a cheaper option is to use an ordinary lip balm — or just a smear of Vaseline, morning and night.”

The article rated Lipivir gel 3/10.

Dry Skin

The Daily Mail feature asked Ross for his views on What Skin Needs Cracked Skin Cream (£8.99/75ml), which is designed for cracked and dry skin and contains plantolin, a natural extract said by the product manufacturers to have proven anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Dr Ross Perry told the Daily Mail:

“A combination of cold winds and central heating can dehydrate the skin, making it far more prone to dryness and cracking in the winter months.

“The main ingredients in this product are lanolin and glycerin — both good emollients [moisturisers] that help the skin lock in moisture and promote healing. I have seen one small study suggesting plantolin may have some benefits, but I’ve not seen any robust independent trials back this up.

“The cream also contains vitamin E, green tea and lemon oil — all of which can cause irritation, especially if the skin is already cracked.
“My product of choice for dry, skin is Epaderm Ointment (500g, £12.99, boots.com). It contains pure liquid paraffin, one of the most effective emollients.”

The article rated What Skin Needs Cracked Skin Cream 4/10.

Read Full Article on dailymail.co.uk

Other treatments for ‘winter woes’ explored in the feature were:

• Warming balm for cold feet
• Hand sanitiser for infections
• Silver gloves for Raynaud’s
• Heat pads for arthritic knees
• Plugins for blocked noses

Read this article in full at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6431837/Can-silver-gloves-chilli-cream-tackle-winter-woes-rate-products-promise-help.html

Dr Ross Perry

Dr Ross Perry regularly provides expert comment and advises the media on a range of skincare and health-related issues.

He has particular expertise in skin surgery mole removal and melanoma; having removed thousands of moles in his career, both within the NHS and privately through Cosmedics Skin Clinics. He provides expert advice on skin cancer, sun damage and sun protection for a variety of UK media and publications.

DR ROSS PERRY

Cosmedics Skin Clinics

Cosmedics Skin Clinics was established in 2003 and has built up an excellent reputation for cosmetic and medical treatments, carried out by GMC Registered Doctors.  The company offer a full range of cosmetic treatments, including popular lip enhancement and wrinkle relaxing injections, dermal fillers; plus medical treatments including mole removal, thread vein treatment and excessive sweating injections.

Cosmedics Skin Clinics has a team of skin treatment doctors and surgeons in their 5 skin clinics across London and Bristol led by Dr Ross Perry.

Call 020 7386 0464 or email info@cosmedics.co.uk to book an appointment.