Health Advice

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Head Lice – Help!!!

Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >

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Are You SunSmart?

We ask Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy Donabate how to make the most of great sunny summer days whilst protecting our skin from harmful rays. Jane says “The Irish Cancer Society SunSmart program has great guidelines to keep us safe. See below for some useful tips and advice” Ways to protect your skin: Shade... Read more >

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Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes

Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes… Talk to Jane Brennan, your Hay Fever Expert in Donabate Are your eyes itchy, red or watery? Is your throat scratchy? Are you sneezing? Do you have itchy ears, nose or mouth? Do you have a blocked or runny nose? Do you wake up feeling exhausted? Hay fever can cause... Read more >

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Life Pharmacy Ireland – Live Better

Bringing you the best health advice for your family

NHS Choices - Diagnosing dandruff

(20/11/2012)

Dandruff does not usually need to be formally diagnosed because its symptoms are obvious. The characteristic dry, white flakes on your scalp or in your hair are typical of the condition.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis

See your GP if you think you have seborrhoeic dermatitis. They can diagnose the condition by looking at the red rash on your skin. Tests are not usually required.

Ruling out other skin conditions

To confirm a diagnosis of seborrhoeic dermatitis, your GP will examine the redness and colour of the scaling on your scalp.

This will enable your GP to rule out a different skin condition called psoriasis, which causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin and silvery scales and has similar symptoms to seborrhoeic dermatitis.

If your GP thinks a fungal infection may be present in your scalp (for example, scalp ringworm), a skin sample may be taken and sent to a laboratory for testing.



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