Dr Alison Soerensen - GP IBCLC - MMC Mandurah

Dr Alison Soerensen - GP IBCLC - MMC Mandurah Specialist general practitioner. Areas of interest include breastfeeding medicine and paediatrics.

Just a quick FYI - I won’t be in on Friday because one of my favourite people, indeed my oldest friend, is celebrating a...
05/08/2026

Just a quick FYI - I won’t be in on Friday because one of my favourite people, indeed my oldest friend, is celebrating a very special birthday this weekend.

While I’m interstate, my lovely colleagues at MMC will take good care of you and I’ll be back in the rooms on Monday.

Rounding out our week of “Guess the paediatric rash!” - this is #5.This rash commonly occurs 3-5 days after a sudden on...
24/07/2026

Rounding out our week of “Guess the paediatric rash!” - this is #5.

This rash commonly occurs 3-5 days after a sudden onset, high fever.

Your clue? It’s sometimes called “Sixth Disease.”

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This is Roseola Infantum!

Caused by certain herpes viruses (NOT the same ones that cause cold sores and ge***al herpes), it most commonly affects children 6 months to

Guess the Paediatric Rash #4!This one is usually noticed either at birth or in the first weeks of life, grows rapidly t...
23/07/2026

Guess the Paediatric Rash #4!

This one is usually noticed either at birth or in the first weeks of life, grows rapidly then regresses!

And your clue is 🍓🍓🍓!

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Did you guess? It’s a haemangioma of infancy, sometimes called a strawberry naevus.

Sometimes they look like a scratch or bruise at delivery and are mistaken for birth trauma. Over the coming weeks and months they grow in size.

The ones that are in the surface of the skin can resemble a strawberry 🍓 (hence the name!) and deeper ones can look more like a blueish lump. They can also grow internally.

Mostly, they are considered benign and whilst they grow rapidly in the first year of life, they then stop growing and fade away to nothing or sometimes leave a fleshy coloured lump in their place, mostly before the child is due to start school.

Most haemangiomas don’t need treatment however those around the eyes, nose and mouth can cause issues with feeding/breathing/sight so may warrant review by a doctor. If they arise in the nappy region, they also need to be monitored as they may be more prone to ulceration and bleeding.

Finally, if your child has 5 or more, or they have a very large one, they are likely to require specialist review. This is because these ones are may be associated with internal haemangiomas and require treatment. Most commonly, treatment is in the form of a medication called a “beta blocker” which may be given orally or topically.

*** Any health-related information provided here is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For your specific health needs or concerns, always consult a qualified healthcare professional or your general practitioner (GP). If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 000 to reach emergency services or visit the nearest hospital emergency department.***

Guess the paediatric (and sometimes adult!) rash #3This one has a great name and it relies on a good history and an ind...
22/07/2026

Guess the paediatric (and sometimes adult!) rash #3

This one has a great name and it relies on a good history and an index of suspicion.

Any guesses?? (And no, it’s not chicken pox!)

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This is phytophotodermatitis - otherwise known as margarita rash… (I swear my toddler wasn’t drinking margaritas though!!!)

The explanation is in the name:
Phyto - meaning plant
Photo - meaning light
Dermatitis - meaning inflammation of the skin

This rash occurs when the sap or juice of an offending plant comes in contact with the skin, followed by a sun exposure, resulting in redness and often blistering, 24-48hrs later.

Vegetable pickers, bar-tenders with citrus exposure, gardeners… and toddlers who hold citrus slices out of their older siblings’ mocktails by the pool are all at risk 😬🫣😬

Patterns of the rash can vary depending on how the person came in contact with the offending plant sap or juice. Drips down the arm, splatters on the face/chest if trimming certain plants… droplet marks on the hands from holding citrus slices 😱🫣🫠

Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation is common.

Management may include cool compresses, simple analgesia, topical antiseptics to prevent secondary infection and sometimes topical steroids.

*** Any health-related information provided here is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For your specific health needs or concerns, always consult a qualified healthcare professional or your general practitioner (GP). If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 000 to reach emergency services or visit the nearest hospital emergency department.***

Guess the paediatric rash - #2!This rash is an interesting one. In children, it is most commonly associated with a vira...
21/07/2026

Guess the paediatric rash - #2!

This rash is an interesting one. In children, it is most commonly associated with a viral illness but it can also be associated with foods, medications and insect stings.

Any guesses?

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Yes! It’s urticaria - commonly called hives!)

In children, they can appear anywhere on the body, are often itchy, and they can vary in size from teeny tiny to several centimetres across. They can be localized (ie around the mouth) or widespread (ie all over the body). They can last minutes to hours but they tend to wax and wane, come up in different locations.

It can be an annoying, but benign condition (I.e. post viral urticaria) or it can be a component of a serious systemic, allergic response called anaphylaxis (like the poor munchkin in this photo).

If your child has urticaria with associated difficulty breathing (wheezing, stridor, cough) or weakness, pallor or collapse, seek emergent medical attention 🚑🚑🚑

If the rash is the only symptom and they seem systemically well, you might consider offering an antihistamine to help with itch or an ice pack or cool flannels while seeking non-urgent review in primary care to try to determine the most likely cause (recent viral illness vs allergen exposure) and appropriate management.

*** Any health-related information provided here is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For your specific health needs or concerns, always consult a qualified healthcare professional or your general practitioner (GP). If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 000 to reach emergency services or visit the nearest hospital emergency department.***

Guess the paediatric (mostly!) rash - #1!This one is doing the rounds at the moment. Named for the locations you normal...
20/07/2026

Guess the paediatric (mostly!) rash - #1!

This one is doing the rounds at the moment.

Named for the locations you normally find it…

Any guesses??

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Yup. It’s Hand Foot and Mouth Disease.

Caused by a number of different viruses (Coxsackie A & B, Echoviruses and Enterovirus 71), it is often a relatively mild disease of pre-school age children presenting with blisters to the hands, feet, around the mouth and ge***als, as well as ulcers inside the mouth. Children with preexisting eczema may experience more widespread rashes to additional areas usually affected by eczema (behind knees, front of elbows). Less commonly, it affects older children and immunocompromised adults.

The virus is spread by coming in contact with the fluid inside blisters, saliva and faeces. It is highly contagious and children should be excluded from daycare/school until all blisters have crusted (7-10 days on average).

Some children may asymptomatically continue to shed the virus in their stool and saliva for weeks which can prolong the misery at daycares and preschools!!

Supportive care with simple analgesia and encouraging oral fluids (water, breastmilk, formula, 50:50 apple juice/water, electrolyte solutions) will be the mainstay of treatment for most children.

Rarely, some children are more severely affected with complications such as meningitis and encephalitis, particularly if infected with enterovirus 71.

6-8 weeks after the acute illness, you may notice your child starts losing fingernails and toenails. Don’t panic! They will grow back as per normal.

*** Any health-related information provided here is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For your specific health needs or concerns, always consult a qualified healthcare professional or your general practitioner (GP). If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 000 to reach emergency services or visit the nearest hospital emergency department.***

If you’re in need of urgent, acute medical care on Sunday, you’ll find me at MMC from 9-1 👩‍⚕️🩺⚕️💊💉Please note that all ...
18/07/2026

If you’re in need of urgent, acute medical care on Sunday, you’ll find me at MMC from 9-1 👩‍⚕️🩺⚕️💊💉

Please note that all after hours consults incur a private fee - Medicare rebates available. For more details see: https://mmcmandurah.com.au/appointments.html

My existing patients can book online: www.mmcmandurah.com.au/AlisonAppt.html

Everyone else can book by calling 9535 1166 today until the rooms close at 1pm or on Sunday when the phones open at 9am.

It’s not often I have “DNAs” - appointments where a patient fails to attend. MMC sends SMS reminders the day before and ...
13/07/2026

It’s not often I have “DNAs” - appointments where a patient fails to attend.

MMC sends SMS reminders the day before and reception try to follow up any that remain unanswered on the day. On top of that, I am grateful to have a loyal cohort of existing patients, who consistently value my time.

But despite this, today, I had an hour’s worth of DNAs.

It’s upsetting for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it’s a Monday. It’s one of my busiest days of the week when people are trying to get review of acute issues that arose over the weekend.

Secondly, my special interests are breastfeeding medicine, the fourth trimester and paediatrics so I’m often juggling requests that are time sensitive/urgent. Every appointment not attended is a slot that could have accommodated someone else.

And lastly, like the vast majority of GPs, I’m a self employed contractor. If I’m not seeing patients, I’m not earning an income.

I completely appreciate that sometimes the appointment you booked a week ago is no longer needed. But please, we only ask for 2hrs notice if you’re not attending so the spot can be offered to someone else.

Thanks 🙏 😘

Address

Murray Medical Centre, 34-36 Minilya Parkway
Mandurah, WA
6210

Opening Hours

Monday 1pm - 5pm
Friday 12:30pm - 5pm

Telephone

+61895351166

Website

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