Good News With Using Laser Treatment For Toenail Fungus

By Allyson Burke


It is a very common problem. You probably know at least one person who suffers with this condition. There have been some very promising results with laser treatment for toenail fungus. Although it is a relatively new procedure, it seems to be quite successful so far.

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.

Before this technology became available, the typical treatments were either topical and/or oral medication. Neither of these solutions seem to work that effectively. The topical worked for around ten percent of the patients. The oral medication worked a little better, helping around fifty percent. The condition often reoccurs when either of these are used.

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.

No obvious negative side effects have been found for those choosing this technique. The medicines that were used to treat it in the past did sometimes have bad side effects. The entire procedure is done in the doctor's office. It usually takes around 20 minutes. Another very positive thing about using this particular technique is that the nail or toe is not damaged in any way. You may wear shoes as soon as the procedure is completed. Be prepared that you may need more than one treatment. This is decided by the severity of the problem. Your doctor can work with you to decide just how many treatments will be best for you.

Unfortunately, most medical insurances do not cover the cost for this procedure. They usually consider it to be a cosmetic condition rather than a medical one. You will need to discuss the cost with the doctor before the process begins.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment