Become a Vichy VIP

We are delighted to launch our new loyalty card for Vichy and La Roche-Posay products.

The deal is this:

• Every time you buy a product from Vichy or La Roche Posay, we will stamp your loyalty card.
• When you have five stamps - you can choose a free product.

It is actually even better than that.

We can give you a free skincare analysis consultation and have loads of samples of the whole range of products which you are free to try before you buy so that we get exactly the right product for you.

I have blogged about Vichy products before and I still really do love them. I am currently using the roll-on eye serum, the intensiv aqualia serum and liftactiv day and night creams. It is questionable whether I look any better (but I blame my new baby boy for that!) for using Vichy, but they are lovely products and nowhere near as expensive as some skincare products I have used in that past.

As we head towards summer it is worth remembering that Vichy also do a great factor 50 suncream - Capital Soleil. Just don't forget to get your loyalty card stamped!

Autism Awareness

April 2nd was World Autism Day.
A little bit late to blog about it, I know, but probably not too late to raise it as an issue.

The autism spectrum is the collective term for a range of conditions that impact on an individual’s social communication, social interaction and social imagination and flexible thinking . Individuals on the spectrum are also likely to have sensory and information processing difficulties that can range from subtle to complex .

Me, some nephews, a son and a dog

As a pharmacist I don't have much to say about autism and its spectrum of disorders which includes Aspergers Syndrome and that is mainly because there aren't any drugs to treat it. Not like diabetes, asthma or chronic pain. I can tell you loads about them because there are hundreds and hundreds of pharmaceuticals to manage the conditions and where there are drugs there is research and money!

However, I do have an interest in Autism as the aunt of an intelligent and articulate Aspie nephew. My sister blogs brilliantly about her Asperger's boy and some of the successes and challenges they face. As my nephew becomes a young adult she is keen to hear from adult Aspies to try to link some of those who have gone through it with those who are experiencing it, and so has set up a new blog called Ask Aspie.

At the other side of puberty is my friend's brother, Brian who was only diagnosed with Asperger's a couple of years ago. He calls himself a write, actor, jobseeker and proud Asperger and his new blog aims to tell his story.

All this got me thinking how many of my customers and patients I deal with every day who are somewhere on the Austism spectrum. Given that 1 in 100 people in Scotland have autism, it is probably a good number. Some of them will have obvious needs. For others it may be more subtle and less obvious. I may just need to take more time to find out their needs or explain a new product, or find a different way to get my point across.

For more information about Autism spectrum disorders, Scottish Autism is a great place to start.

Chicken Pox

There hasn't been much time for blogging recently.

What with the challenges of getting used to our new baby, dealing with a 3 year old with tonsillitis and chicken pox within the space of a month, travelling to wet west Wales to the in-laws for Easter and having some sort of flu-like bug myself, spare time has been pretty limited!

But once again I have been learning to be a better pharmacist by testing the product range* available for dealing with a small boy with chicken pox and felt it timely to share my (ahem) wisdom.

So here goes:

• Paracetamol and/or ibuprofen suspension are great to bring down the high temperature. Remember to check the dose is right for the age of child and the advice has recently changed. If in doubt as your pharmacist.
• Chlorphenamine (Piriton) is a good choice if your wee one is incredibly itchy. It can help them get a good night's sleep as well. Although had no noticable effect on my boy!

• Topical products seem to stop the itching for a little while. Take your pick from:
  Calamine lotion - the smell took me back to a far away place in time. Very soothing and my small boy liked dabbing it on himself.
  Calamine in aqueous cream - not as messy as the lotion or as drying to the skin
  Virasoothe gel seemed to be the best we tried. Nice to apply, very cooling and soothing.
  There are some new products just out that we didn;t get round to trying this time. We'll need to wait for the next child to get chicken pox to test more products!

Other things we learned from this round of illnesses:

• It is possible to get chicken pox twice. We are pretty sure that our boy had it when he was about a year old, but a very mild dose. Perhaps not a good enough whack to give him immunity?
• A 3 year old can be too poorly to even watch peppa pig! Now that must be proper poorly.
• The spots in the hair itch the most.
• Breast feeding really does protect newborns - or so it would seem. That means we'll go through it all again when the younger brother goes to nursery.
• Small children can't often explain where things hurt. A sore neck turned out to be tonsillitis!

*Remember that some of the products above may be available free of charge on the minor ailments services. Come and discuss your child's symptoms with the team at Barnton Pharmacy.