THE DOC REPLIES

I don’t take sugar but I do use six or seven sweetener tablets in my tea. Could this be doing me any harm?

There have been a lot of scare stories in recent years regarding the use of saccharine and different artificial sweeteners which link them to certain cancers. However, there have been many clinical trials done and there is now not thought to be any association with cancer – so these sweeteners are probably safe enough to be using. However, six or seven tablets does sound excessive and perhaps weaning down would be a good idea.

I’m a 50-year-old woman, but my hair is thinning. Can anything be done about this?

This is not an uncommon occurrence as you get older and there are various products on the market, such as certain shampoos, that claim to help with this and add volume to hair. Whether they work or not I can’t really say – it’s not something I’ve investigated. If you want my advice, I think that treating your hair gently and avoiding heating appliances like straighteners should help to keep your locks in good condition.

Are there any effective over-the-counter treatments for acne?

It’s possible to buy effective treatments, either from your local chemist or the supermarket. There are many companies that market treatment for acne. Some of those will contain the ingredient Nicotinamide which can be used on mild to moderate inflammatory acne, or Benzoyl Peroxide which is commonly one of the initial medications prescribed by your GP for acne but is also available over the counter.

Unfortunately the Doc can’t directly respond to each query, or guarantee a reply. When in doubt contact your own GP