Sammy Margo says: ?It alters the way you breathe, you end up breathing from the upper airways rather than the diaphragm. It impedes digestion and weakens the muscles because the corset is doing the work for them.?
Flowing scarves may be feminine but they can also be a pain in the neck, says Sammy Margo. ?Recently I had a patient who was in real trouble after the scarf she was wearing got caught in a car door and the driver went to move off without realising. the jerk caused a whip-lash type injury and she was in a lot of pain.?
Tight trousers leave men at an increased risk of infertility, a problem estimated to affect as many as 443,000 men in the UK. Heat has a direct impact on the sperm motility ? their ability to swim to an egg to fertilise it. Studies have shown that even relatively small rises in temperature can undermine sperm motility and in some cases even reduce sperm counts.
Men are evolutionarily engineered to counter this by adapting to temperature highs and lows ? the scrotum is a sort of air-conditioning system which keeps the testes, where sperm is made, a few degrees cooler than a man?s body temperature when it?s too hot, or draws them closer to the body when it?s cold. But tight trousers can lead to overheating that lowers sperm quality and quantity.
When William Hague donned a baseball cap it wasn?t only his political image that was in danger, he may also have increased his risk of skin cancer. Sporty caps give a false sense of security in the sun, warns Professor Anthony Peterson, an expert dermatologist based at Loyola University, Chicago.
He explains: ?The problem with baseball caps is that they leave the tips of the ears dangerously exposed to sun damage. the potential for skin cancer is real.?
Cancer Research UK figures reveal a sharp rise in the number of men dying from skin cancer. In the past 30 years, deaths have doubled and the number of men being diagnosed with malignant melanoma has increased five-fold.
No WAG would be seen without an oversized designer bag but if you carry more than a few basics in it you could have back problems.
Garry Trainer, an osteopath and acupuncturist with a celebrity patient list, warns: ?If a heavy bag is carried constantly on the same shoulder then it can compress the muscles on one side while stretching the muscles on the other. Ideally the weight should be carried across both shoulders and kept close to the body.?
Low-slung jeans that are tight enough to create a muffintop look are not only a crime against fashion, they can also lead to a nasty case of meralgia paraesthetica.
This nerve problem, also known as tingling thigh syndrome, is caused by pressure on the femoral cutaneous nerve which runs through the thigh. Symptoms can range from mild pins and needles to a burning sensation. It can also lead to numbness lower down the legs. Dr John England of the American Academy of Neurology says: ?The femoral cutaneous nerve is purely sensory ? it doesn?t go to muscles or provide strength ? but anything that is tight around there can potentially compress the nerve.?
The good news is that loss of sensation is temporary ? switching to skirts or baggy trousers will fix the problem.
Most women wear these fine nylon knee-highs under smart trousers but buying brands with a narrow band at the top is not so smart, advises Sammy Margo.
?I?ve had patients come in complaining of pins and needles and pain in their lower legs as a result of badly fitting pop socks. Some socks have a broad band at the top, which is fine, but in others it?s very narrow and has much the same effect as wearing a rubber band.?
They?re a winter wardrobe standby but stretch leggings can cause problems when the weather warms, says Sammy Margo. ?Leggings are very supportive, I often recommend them to patients with lower back problems but that also means they are doing some of the work of the muscles. if you wear leggings a lot during winter you will find that your legs are not as firm and toned as you would like by the spring.?
Just as skin-tight outerwear is bad for boys who want to become fathers, so too are figure-hugging Y-fronts and jockey shorts. a study by the University of Milan found that men wearing tight briefs were nearly twice as likely to be infertile as men who wore looser styles of underpants. as a result, if couples are having trouble conceiving, the man is often advised to switch to boxers to try to improve his sperm count.
Sheepskin boots may not offer enough support around the heel and ankle which can lead to tendon strain, warns podiatrist Mike O?Neil. ?Ugg have done a lot to try to improve their sole and they have made the back of the boot a lot stronger.?
But he says many lookalikes don?t offer enough support which can lead to problems including Achilles tendonitis and friction and bruising to the heel. People with flat feet are at particular risk.
Stick to studs if you want to reduce your risk of injury on the pitch, advises podiatrist Mike O?Neil. ?They have a little more give than the newer blades.?
Orthopaedic surgeon Professor David Barrett says: ?We see a lot more metatarsal injuries. the players have no protection.?
Wayne Rooney was advised by specialists to wear an orthotic insole to help stiffen his boots and protect his feet. And at last week?s Australian Open tennis championship, keen-eyed viewers will have spotted that Novak Djokovic removed similar insoles before throwing his shoes into the crowd