A white mark or marks on a nail are called leukonychia and are not a cause for concern. It’s likely that you’ve injured the nail bed, right at the base of the nail where the new nail grows from, and this tiny trauma has left its mark. This can be the odd knock or bang, tight shoes where toes are concerned, or even some types of manicure or pedicure. This does not relate to any dietary deficiencies, as is commonly believed, so you do not need any tests. You just need to wait for that part of the nail to grow out, which can take a good few months, as fingernails take a month to grow 3.5mm.

This is characteristic of a fungal nail infection. Yellowing and thickening usually start at the tip, becoming soft and crumbly and harder to cut. Over weeks it can spread to the rest of the nail, replacing the healthy pink parts and causing it to lift off. Eventually, over the course of a few months, the whole infected nail may come off. People are usually bothered by the appearance, and only notice when summer announces itself and the flip flops come out, after a winter of feet in warm sweaty socks and shoes. It can occasionally cause swelling and pain. Tinea unguium, the medical term for fungal nail infection, is more common in the toenails than fingernails. It can affect one nail or several, usually on the same hand or foot, and can eventually spread to the other foot.

Hair is a huge part of a woman’s identity and we are constantly bombarded with images of long sleek locks with plenty of volume. Understandably loss of hair can cause women a great deal of anxiety. There can be telling signs that this is an inevitable part of an ageing process, so let’s talk through what to look for, and consider any reversible causes.

For most, the abundance of oestrogen causes a slowing down of hair shedding, and many women report increased volume and lustrous locks during pregnancy. But this isn’t so for all – the relative stress to the body in the first trimester may cause hair loss, but this is only evident later in the pregnancy. This will come back – you’ll notice regrowth two to four months after baby is delivered.

Hair loss can cause distress and a sense of premature ageing in men, as it often appears in your 30s or 40s, at a time when you feel healthy and young, and are striving in your career, relationships and family life. It's very common, with half of all men in their 50s having visible hair loss. It's usually part of the natural ageing process and mediated by hormones. Everyone wants to know what they can do to halt the process, or even to regain their locks. Let’s talk you through the options, and the less common causes of an underlying medical condition.

Hair loss in children can be unexpected and worrying, especially if the hair loss is significant. Rest assured that it’s most likely to be temporary and is not usually a sign of anything more sinister. There can be a few underlying causes why children may experience hair loss, but it is important to be emotionally supportive and reassuring to your child, and avoid drawing attention to it unless they do. It can be distressing for them and cause a big dent to their self-confidence. For your own peace of mind, ensure that any of your concerns are reviewed by your family doctor.

Stress is an important and often overlooked cause of hair loss. Everyone sheds hairs on a daily basis as part of a normal hair growth cycle, but at certain times in people's lives, the rate of hair loss can pick up momentum, becoming more noticeable. Stress-induced hair loss is common and may result in hair loss from a certain area of the head or from all over the head. It can happen in both men and women of any age. The good news is that once the stressful event has passed, or you have recovered from a significant illness that caused physical stress, or even from pregnancy, hair will usually grow back.

We lose hair all the time – 50 to 100 hairs a day, to be precise. But we don’t usually notice this constant renewal. Hair is important to us, to our sense of identity and self-esteem. It can be alarming when you see lots of hair on your brush, in the plug hole or across the carpet. We don’t always find a cause, and hair grows back, but it’s worth seeking a doctor’s opinion in certain circumstances, in case a medical problem is to blame. Let’s cut through to the important bits: what’s causing it and what treatments might actually work.

A recent injury to the nail can cause a bruise that can look brown, black, purple or red - this should improve with time and grow out with the nail. There are some features to watch out for that can be signs of something more serious.