A consultant dermatologist on eczema, from steroids to allergy and what actually works.

You've been handed a tube of steroid cream, a tub of emollient and very little explanation. Then someone at the school gate tells you it's dairy.

This week Lucy and Nick are joined by Dr Tanveer Chohan, Consultant Dermatologist, for the eczema conversation parents actually need. Not the leaflet version.

We cover:

• Why eczema happens  - what's going on in the skin barrier, and why it isn't something you caused

• The truth about topical steroids: what the risks genuinely are, what happens when we under-treat, and how much to use

• Why two children with eczema can end up on completely different treatment plans

• Emollients -  how much, how often, and why the one your friend swears by might not suit your child

• The eczema and food allergy question.  What the link actually is, when food is relevant, and why cutting things out "just in case" can backfire

• Bathing, flare-ups, infected skin and when to go back to your GP

• Night-time itching, sleep, scratching and the bits nobody warns you about

Lucy has a daughter with eczema, so she asks the questions you'd ask too, including the day to day from swimming to when to escalate.

Evidence-based, practical, and no judgement about the tube you've been too scared to use.

Show notes and links:

How to apply wet wraps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBzydL0HBJg

Dr Tanveer Chohan: https://tscskin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.skinguy

Cow's milk protein allergy is one of the most over-diagnosed conditions in infancy and also one that gets missed. In Episode 1 of The Parent Prescription Podcast, consultant paediatrician Nick Makwana and paediatric dietitian Lucy Upton untangle what CMPA actually is, why it's so often confused with reflux, and what to do about it.Reflux, colic, an unsettled baby, blood or mucus in a nappy, eczema that won't clear. These can point to cow's milk protein allergy, and they can equally point to a baby doing entirely normal baby things. Telling the two apart is genuinely hard, and a lot of families end up either on a restrictive diet they never needed or waiting months for a diagnosis they did.We cover the difference between immediate and delayed allergy, why the delayed form looks so much like reflux, the rise in diagnosis and specialist formula prescribing, what a proper diagnosis involves and why planned reintroduction is part of it, how to manage dairy exclusion while breastfeeding with the right support, and what the milk ladder is for.Follow us on Instagram: @parentprescriptionpod For questions or topic suggestions, email: [email protected] episodes every Tuesday.This video provides general information and is not medical advice about your individual child. Do not start or stop an elimination diet, or change your baby's formula, without speaking to your GP, health visitor or dietitian. If you are worried about a child, contact your GP, NHS 111, or your local emergency service.