Good News With Using Laser Treatment For Toenail Fungus

By Allyson Burke


This nail condition is a relatively common one. You may suffer with it yourself, or you may know someone who suffers with it. The good news is that laser treatment for toenail fungus is showing some very promising results. It is a somewhat new procedure, but so far, it seems to be doing a good job.

Toe fungus looks very ugly. It can cause the nails to become hard, thick, and discolored. It can also cause them to become very soft and start to peel. It sometimes results in the total loss of the toenail. It is more common in the elderly and is much more prevalent in males than in females.

Dermatophytes is the name for the fungi that cause this particular condition. This type of fungi thrive in moist, dark places like showers or gyms. One or more nails may be affected. The first signs are usually small, white spots on the nail. It gets in by a cut or under the nail. In some people, it seems to spread rather easily.

Common other treatments are both oral medications and/or topical medications. Neither, however, have been terribly successful. The oral medications are successful about fifty percent of the time, and the topical usually only work about ten percent of the time. It had typically been difficult to treat. It also tends to reoccur even when the treatments do work.

Fortunately, there have been some very positive preliminary results using lasers. A special type of laser is used for a short period of time. It acts by heating the fungi to vaporize and kill it. Different wavelengths can be used depending on the patient, and the severity of the problem.

There have been no adverse side effects shown with those who use this method. Unlike the other ways to treat which did sometimes have bad side effects for the user. It is done as an office procedure and will take around twenty minutes to complete. One positive for using this method to treat is that no damage is done to the nail or the toe. Shoes may be worn immediately after the procedure. It may take several treatments. It all depends on the problem's severity. This is something you need to discuss with your doctor.

At the present time, this procedure is not covered by most medical insurance plans. They see it as a cosmetic procedure instead of a medical one. The cost is something else you can discuss with your doctor.

There have been promising results with using laser treatment for toenail fungus. It seems to be effective for about ninety percent of the users. It may take a long time for the healthy nail to grow back. More studies are being done to test for its long term results. With other types of treatments, the problem has come back with some patients. This procedure is so new that it is unclear if it will be a long term solution. However, so far it seems to be the best way available to deal with this condition. Be sure to talk with your doctor to see if he believes this is a good option for you to try.




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