MEN'S HEALTH MATTERS:Your health questions answered
Q I get a bad shaving rash on my neck, which can sometimes be painful. I have been told the only treatment is to stop shaving. The unshaven look is not really acceptable in my job. Is there anything else I can do?
AShaving rash - razor bumps - is an inflammatory reaction surrounding ingrown hairs, which results from shaving. It occurs more commonly if you have thick or curly beard hair.
Depending on how severe your rash is, there are a number of treatments.
The first thing to do is to stop shaving for a few days to allow the ingrown hairs to grow out. However, this can take up to a month. When you do start shaving again use a single-blade razor. Double- or multiple-blade razors cut the hairs too short, allowing them to grow inwards.
The smoother the shave a blade gives you, the more likely it is to cause ingrown hairs. Shave in the direction of your hair and don't stretch the skin. Alternatively, use an electric razor with a head that leaves the hairs long. Aim to have a 5 o'clock shadow immediately after shaving!
Exfoliation at night can help, though a lot of skin scrubs can be rough on the skin and cause small microscopic tears, which can make things worse.
Use a fine skin scrub, preferably one which is made from microscopic beads. Lotions that contain glycolic acid do the same job and exfoliate the dead skin cells.
If you have a severe shaving rash, you may need to start a prolonged course of antibiotics (similar to those used in the treatment of acne). So I would advise you to go talk to your doctor or dermatologist.
Laser hair removal can be very useful in severe cases.
This doesn't permanently remove the hair - there is no such thing as permanent laser hair removal - but the hairs that regrow are finer and less likely to become ingrown.
It can be more effective than any other measure and you may need it to be done only once or twice a year to keep the problem under control.
Sometimes none of these work and you just have to grow a beard.
Q I am 53 years old and have had a persistent cough for the past four months. I get night sweats and my GP is sending me to a specialist to see if I have TB. What are the common symptoms of this disease and what investigations will be required?
AIn the majority of people, tuberculosis (TB) presents with symptoms suggestive of a chest infection.
The main symptoms are night sweats, loss of weight and a cough, and your sputum may be streaked with blood.
In the majority of men, symptoms will have been present for many months before medical advice has been sought.
Although many people feel that it is a disease from the last century, it has never been eradicated completely from Ireland and each year over the past seven years the incidence has increased.
When you attend the outpatient department in the hospital you will be asked to wear a mask, because TB is a disease that can be passed from one patient to another.
A chest X-ray will be performed and some sputum will be taken for laboratory tests.
Occasionally, if you do not produce sputum it may be necessary to perform a bronchoscopy.
This is where a telescope is passed down through the windpipe to allow direct visualisation of the lungs and take samples for analysis.
If your doctor feels that you have TB, you will be started on treatment while waiting for the definitive results from the laboratory.
This treatment for TB, which is a combination of tablets, is continued for at least six months and is very successful in the majority in eradicating the disease.
A mandatory requirement is that the public health service is notified to allow for all close contacts to be traced.
This means that your family and colleagues may be screened to see if they have also contracted tuberculosis.
If they require any investigations, these will be arranged in the hospital.
• This weekly column is edited by Thomas Lynch, consultant urological surgeon, St James's Hospital, Dublin, with contributions from Dr Patrick Ormond, consultant dermatologist and dermatological surgeon, and Joe Keane, consultant respiratory physician.
• Please send your questions to healthsupplement@irish-times.ie