Comment: Debunking dermatology

With the Keogh review over and our new executive medical director in post, I have escaped to Wales for a couple of weeks of walking, eating, reading and chatting. I had promised to write this editorial on the first rainy day – so here we are on Day 3! That’s actually a bit unfair as it was sunny this morning, so we played tennis and then walked into Beaumaris for lunch. This issue of Dermatology in practice has a mixture of the common, the rare and the puzzling. Christina Green starts us off with a practical guide to peanut allergy, debunking many of the misconceptions often held by parents of children we see in the clinic. It is refreshing to read such a clear explanation of concepts like allergy and sensitisation; the interpretation of specific IgE levels; and the relationship between Type 1 and Type IV reactions. The article is worth sharing with patients and could shorten some of those tricky consultations.