One of the most common things I hear in consultations is some version of “I didn’t know what to call it.” Someone recently described a seborrheic keratosis to me as looking like “a crusty mole,” which is a completely reasonable way to describe it if you don’t know the medical term. Most people don’t walk around knowing the names of skin conditions, and there’s no reason you should; that’s exactly what I’m here for. But if you’re trying to work out what’s on your skin before booking a consultation, it helps to know roughly what you’re looking at, so here’s a plain-language guide based on appearance rather than medical terminology.

How effective is diathermy for skin tag removal? Is it straightforward? Is it a one-off process? This client’s experience is a good example of what proper, considered treatment actually looks like in practice, rather than a quick fix. Before any treatment began, we carried out a patch test to check how her skin would respond. This isn’t a step to rush past, since everyone’s skin reacts slightly differently, and it lets me see healing patterns before committing to full treatment. A few days later, once I could see the area was healing exactly as it should, we went ahead. Rather than treating everything in one sitting, we spread her treatment

If you’ve been noticing more skin tags on your neck than you used to, small red dots appearing on your torso, a scattering of little bumps around your jawline, or brown patches that never used to be there, you’re not imagining it, and you’re definitely not alone. I see many clients in their 40s and 50s who feel their skin has changed on them, and it’s genuinely one of the most common conversations I have. The reason is hormonal. As oestrogen levels start to fluctuate in perimenopause and then drop away in menopause, your skin loses collagen, becomes thinner, and behaves differently at almost every level. That drop influences pigment