Q Do you have any advice for infected toe nails? Mine are yellow and overgrown and very ugly so I can't wear open-toed shoes.

A It sounds as if you may have fungal infections of the toenails which can be unsightly and unfortunately quite hard to treat. A trip to the GP should confirm if this is the case and your doctor may recommend treatment in the form of nail lacquer or tablets.

Unfortunately, you may have to use these treatments for six months or more as you wait for the healthy nail to grow out. Rarely, an infected toenail is best removed to allow new growth. Or you may like to try regular soaking and pumice stone filing of the nail followed by treatment with tea tree oil which also works.

Always keep the toenails short by regular clipping otherwise debris can collect beneath them and in warm and wet conditions fungi will thrive. As with many illnesses, this does affect cigarette smokers more than non-smokers.