How can I get rid of heavy bags under my eyes? Dr Zoe Williams answers your health queries

GIVING blood is easier than ever, but the NHS will always need more donors.

You can register in five minutes on the website blood.co.uk.

This January, NHS Blood and Transplant says it particularly needs existing O Negative and B Negative donors to come forward.

An appointment at one of the 25 main centres or thousands of pop-up sites takes no more than one hour in total, and it could save up to three lives.

As long as you are fit and healthy, weigh between 7st 12lb and 25 stone, and are aged between 17 and 66 (up to 70 if you have given blood before), you should be able to donate.

NHSBT says it needs more than 140,000 people to give blood for the first time this year.

It also needs 12,000 new black heritage donors who are more likely to have rare blood types.

This can help meet the growing demand for people with sickle cell disease – which is more common in people of black heritage.

In 2023, there were more than 790,500 blood donors, including almost 126,900 new ones.

Let’s beat that for 2024.

Here’s a selection of what readers have been asking me this week . . .

Q: I AM a fit 78-year-old and recently went for a private medical, which was fine, other than my left leg had a different blood pressure reading than my left arm.

They said that if I got any pain in my leg – which I am getting now – to go to my GP.

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The GP said it was more like arthritis, which went against the medical because my bones were fine.

I tried to show her the findings but she ignored it.

Is that common practice for a doctor?

A: It sounds as though the test you had was an ABPI at your private medical assessment, which stands for “ankle brachial pressure index”.

As you correctly mentioned, it compares the blood pressure in the arteries of your arm versus the arteries of your lower leg.

While it is normal for the pressure to be higher in the leg while standing, due to gravity, when laid flat they should normally be fairly similar.

If the pressure in the leg is significantly lower than the arm, this may indicate that there is peripheral arterial disease and a reduced flow of oxygenated blood to the leg.

The symptoms that would most commonly accompany this condition are a pain in the leg on exertion (such as walking up stairs) or, in more severe cases, leg pain at rest.

ABPI testing requires specific equipment, something called a Doppler scanner, rather than a standard blood pressure machine, so it isn’t always possible to do this in a normal GP appointment.

In terms of what should happen next, it all depends on your symptoms and what the ABPI result was.

My advice would be to send an e-consult to your GP practice, or email with a copy of the result, and request advice on what to do next.

Q: I HAVE a very itchy scalp a lot of the time, but no dandruff or flaking.

I haven’t done or used anything different for over ten years.

A: An itchy scalp can be incredibly difficult to cope with but there are things you can do.

Firstly, don’t wash your hair in water that’s too hot as that can exacerbate skin issues.

You don’t mention how long it’s been going on but if it’s been a while, and you haven’t seen a GP, it might be worth making an appointment, especially if it’s keeping you awake or affecting your quality of life.

As you have no flaking, the most common cause of itchy scalp – dandruff – may be ruled out.

An itchy scalp can be a symptom of a health condition, such as diabetes, shingles, allergies, psoriasis, migraine, ringworm or even anxiety.

It may be down to a sensitivity, and while you haven’t changed anything, new sensitivities can develop at any time.

Trying to figure out if a shampoo, hat or hair product is the cause is worthwhile.

You can do this by stopping using or wearing it for a few weeks and then seeing if the itch resolves but comes back when you start using or wearing it again.

Your GP can examine your scalp or send a scraping of your scalp off for analysis.

They should also run through your medical history as this could give them clues towards the cause, and check for any skin issues elsewhere or in the past.

It might be worth keeping a diary too, noting which times of day are worse or if there is any pattern, such as when you’re feeling more stressed.

Q: I HAVE heavy bags under my eyes which are very puffy and also have white marks on them which look a bit like small bubbles – but I’ve got no idea what they are.

My doctor says they can only be treated with cosmetic surgery which isn’t available on the NHS.

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I’m 72 and divorced so can’t afford any surgery and have tried a few creams without success.

It also ruins my confidence in dating again.

Thank you for sending in images which show the extent of the drooping skin below your eyes.

It is very pronounced in your case, which makes me wonder whether there could be a connective tissue disorder or maybe you’ve lost a lot of weight which could also contribute to laxity of the skin.

I’m sorry to say that your GP is right, the only thing that will correct this is cosmetic surgery to remove the excess skin in that area.

Unfortunately cosmetic surgery isn’t covered by the NHS.

Blepharoplasty is a type of surgery that removes excess skin from the eyelids or under eye.

It may cost anywhere between £2,000 and £6,000.

Be aware consultants may also suggest other treatments, too, such as a facelift.

It could be worth you speaking to a few clinics and seeing if they have any zero per cent interest payment plans for you to spread the cost if you think it’s something you could afford.

The white bubbles could be xanthomas, which can be linked to people having too much fat or cholesterol in the blood.

The bumps are filled with fat.

If you haven’t been assessed for high cholesterol or connective tissue disorders, I’d advise going back to your GP for a check.

It’s important to try and preserve the confidence you have.

Have you thought about wearing glasses, as they could potentially make you feel a bit brighter about yourself?

It may be worth exploring with your local optician.