FAQ

Laser Toenail Fungus Treatment Procedure

Laser treatment for toenail fungus are revolutionary breakthrough procedures in treating nail fungus infection. Laser fungus toenail treatments do not cause cuts or burns and thus has the advantage of patients being treated without minimal discomfort. Studies on laser treatment for toenail fungus have been done are extremely encouraging, and no known side effects have been found. Long-term effects for laser treatment for toenail fungus seem just as promising. Coupled with good hygiene of the toes, and follow up treatment with a topical anti-fungal creams, patients should experience good, long-term result in the elimination of the toe nail fungus. Laser nail fungus treatment procedure surpasses those of the more dangerous medications with an effective success rate around 80% in clinical studies showing the fungus to be destroyed, safely.

Am I a Candidate for the Laser Nail Fungus Cure?

If your toenails appear yellow, brittle or thickened, you may be suffering from a medical condition called Onychomycosis, or nail fungus. This is an extremely common problem, shared by up to 10% of the US population. If you are over 40, the number rises to 25% in that age group; and if you are over 60, sufferers from toe nail fungus can be as high as an estimated 50%! Up until very recently, treating toe nail fungus has been challenging due to the hardy nature of the fungus that resides under your nail. Topical medications or lacquers are largely ineffective and designed to mostly prevent the spread or worsening of the condition. Oral medications are estimated to be about 50% successful, but those drugs are not tolerated well by many patients and risk of liver damage is an overriding concern. The latest and most effective treatment for the removal of toe nail fungus is laser therapy.

How does the nail fungus laser work?

A toenail fungus laser works by shining a focused beam of light in a narrow range, more commonly known as a laser, into a toenail infected with fungus (onychomycosis). The laser penetrates the toenail and vaporizes fungus embedded in the nail bed and nail plate where toenail fungus exists. The toenail fungus targeted laser is tuned to a specific wave length that effects cells that are responsible for infection.

Is fingernail laser treatment painful?

The focused, targeted laser light beam will have no effect on healthy tissue, and will only target the infected areas. A patient undergoing laser nail treatment for fungus removal procedures should experience slight discomfort during or after the treatment, the discomfort is from the sharp increase in temperature in the treated area (which kill the fungus). During the treatment a laser beam will be shut on the nail with the aim to increase the temperature under the nail into above 50 degrees, as a result of this you will feel a warm sensation during the treatment. The treatment is not totally pain free as the sharp increase in temperature will translate to mild discomfort, this feeling will disappear within minutes after the treatment.

How long does the toenail laser treatment take?

In our clinic we recommend 4 Laser treatment in weekly intervals (i.e once a week for 4 weeks). First treatment is longer then other due to the fact we have to remove as much as possible from the thickness of the nail being treated, this part is done using a specialized machine that remove the hard thick nail. Following this procedure a laser treatment start, each treated nail should take about few minutes of laser treatment.

Does toenail fungus laser treatment really work?

Clinical studies to date reveal that over 80% of treated patients show significant improvement when treated with Nd:yag lasers. * In most cases the nail fungus pathogen is completely eliminated.

How soon will I see improvement to my toenails after treatment with a laser?

On average, any toenail will replace itself every 6 to 9 months through natural growth. Healthy new growth will be visible within the first 3 months as the new nail replaces the old. However, follow up treatment with an anti-fungal cream with L-arginine has shown an increase of up to 100% in the speed of healthy nail replacement.

Is the laser toenail fungus treatment safe?

There have been no adverse reactions, injuries, disabilities or known side effects from use of laser to treat toenail fungus infection. As you may know, the use of oral nail fungus medication available today for treatment of fungus nails carries with it possible systemic involvement (commonly the liver and kidney). This laser toenail treatment does not.

Do I have to take any drugs as part of the laser toenail fungus treatment?

No. No drugs or topical ointments are required.

Will I be able to walk after laser toenail fungus treatment?

You will be able to walk out of the office just as well as you walked in, you might even have a smile on your face. The laser toenail fungus treatment will not harm you in any way. Toenails are dead cells, the laser targets living fungus inside the nail. During the procedure our Doctor will ask you to indicate any discomfort, and if it is felt will adjust the laser treatment accordingly.