Skin Care Today

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EDITORIAL i
W elcome to this issue of Skin Care Today . With skin
diseases affecting a vast majority of people, our
‘Practice matters’ piece looks at the psychological
impact that living with a skin condition can have. While the
physical manifestations such as
blistering, itch, rash and inflammation
are easy to identify, the emotional
damage can often be underestimated,
or not even considered by healthcare
professionals. Assessing patients
holistically and not just focusing on
the skin condition in front of you
and taking time to listen to how a
patient’s skin is affecting them can go
a long way to making a difference.
Alongside this psychological aspect of skin care, once again
this issue is packed full of clinical articles with practical advice on
a range of topics.
Sandra Lawton provides a comprehensive overview of
factors to consider when caring for elderly people with skin
problems (pp. 12–19), while the piece on atopic eczema in
children highlights the crucial role that community nurses
play in managing the disease and educating patients/carers
about therapies and the importance of adhering to treatment
(pp. 20–25). This issue also focuses on chronic plaque psoriasis
(pp. 26–33) and venous eczema ( pp. 39–45), offering practical
guidance on assessment and treatment for these two commonly
encountered skin complaints.
As revalidation is now underway for all nurses, we hope that
this issue provides you with plenty of material to build your
portfolio. Next time you care for someone with a skin problem,
why not reflect on how the articles here have helped you to look
after them and then upload them to your free JCN revalidation
e-portfolio ).
Binkie Mais, Publisher,
Journal of Community Nursing
Managing director
Nicola Rusling
Publisher/editor
Binkie Mais
Business director
Alec O’Dare
07535 282827
Sales manager
Sam Ciotkowski
Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of Wound Care People Limited.
Any products referred to by the authors should only be used as
recommended by manufacturers’data sheets.
Why skin care matters
©Wound Care People Limited 2017
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ISSN 2058-6760
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All rights reserved. No part of the Skin Care Today journal may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic or mechanical,
photocopied or otherwise without the prior written permission of Wound Care
People Limited.
Printed in England by Blackmore Ltd, Shaftesbury
i Contents
4 Are we paying attention to
the psychological issues
of skin disease?
8 Identifying the difference
between moisture lesions and
pressure damage
Jacqui Fletcher
12 Care of elderly skin
Sandra Lawton
20 Managing atopic eczema
in children
Vilma Conceicao
26 Assessment and treatment of
chronic plaque psoriasis
Karina Jackson
34 Caring for the peristomal skin
Jennie Burch
39 Venous eczema: a guide to
diagnosis and treatment
of symptoms
Linda Nazarko
46 Top tips: periwound skin care
SKIN CARE TODAY 2017,Vol 3, No 1 3