The Doc Replies

I’m a gardener and often get rose thorns in my hands. I’ve tried various methods with different degrees of success. How would you advise removing them?

I always say that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, I’d advise you to wear gloves when working with rose bushes. This is partly due to the fact that it avoids a foreign body being lodged in your hand which could be contaminated with dirt. However, should you get a thorn, then a small pair of tweezers to lift the foreign body is probably best, providing it is not too deep. What is a Baker’s cyst?

This is a swelling at the back of the knee in which fluid from the joint manages to collect in the soft tissues. It creates a cyst-like swelling, however it is still attached to the knee cavity. Often the cyst is left untreated if it doesn’t cause problems, but can spontaneously rupture causing pain and bruising or swelling of the calf muscles. If you have pain and tenderness in your calf muscle or around the swelling of your knee it would be worth seeing your GP to see if you have a Baker’s cyst. I’ve developed some brown patches on my hands which I think are liver spots. Why do they appear as we age?

Liver spots are more commonly now referred to as age spots or solar lentigo and are a result of exposure to sunlight over a period of time. They are most commonly found in areas exposed to the sun most frequently. They are probably more common with advancing years as a result of the skin being unable to recover after sun exposure. Use of a high-factor sun cream will reduce the effects of the sun on the skin.