Three must-know things about three important things.

Keloid

Keloid refers to the formation of excessive scar tissue.

  1. Keloid formation can complicate surgical scars, injury scars, injection sites, burns, acne, piercing sites, and more.
  2. Keloid can be flesh-coloured or red-pink and is usually darker than surrounding skin. Keloid can be an irritation (itch, bleed, interfere with clothing or straps, etc.) but the main issue is usually appearance.
  3. Treatment options are many, but imperfect, and carry some risk of making keloid worse. Most patients are advised to do nothing but a range of options (including surgical excision) can be used in severe cases or with full patient understanding of risks.

Kegel exercises

These are extremely valuable simple DIY exercises that really can help to improve continence for women and men.

  1. For a range of reasons including menopausal hormonal changes, previous pregnancy and childbirth, many women experience incontinence as they age. Men can also be affected as a result of prostate disease and any overweight person (male or female)is at increased risk too.
  2. This is something of an “unspoken secret” with much associated stigma etc. It nonetheless affects many.
  3. Learning how to do simple Kegel exercises, about three times a day, can really make a difference for many. It’s something that almost anyone can easily learn to do. Look it up and learn….talk to your granny or mother or uncle about it…try it yourself……

Knock knees

This refers to a condition where the knees touch but ankles do not. The legs are in-turned.

  1. In most cases knock knees are normal: babies are born bow-legged but this changes as they learn to walk – pre-school and early-school children are often knock-kneed. Nearly all outgrow this during puberty, or remain only slightly knock-kneed or bow-legged, with no issues.
  2. Knock knees can occur as a complication of things like bone infection, rickets, or injury (e.g. a broken leg that sets poorly).
  3. Knock knees can be corrected with braces or even surgery in severe cases.

Written by Dr Colin Burns