Toenail fungus can often cause toenails turn yellow and very brittle, but at the same time thick and grotesque, and to become very painful. The infection of a toenail is very hard to disrupt and get rid of in most cases. Individuals with toenail fungus can try many different treatments that may cost them hundreds of dollars, but may never find one that has actually helped at all. Home remedies and various topical treatments oftentimes do not work to remove the entire fungus from the toenail, although they may reduce the damage slightly by making the toenail more presentable. The cases of toenail fungus are very common amongst adults and can cause severe pain for patients that are in the later stages of their lives.
Recently, hope has been granted to those individuals suffering from toenail fungus. This hope has come in the form of a laser treatment that can help to clear up the infection from the toenail. Podiatrists across the nation have begun to recommend this laser treatment to their patients suffering from various types of toenail fungus and have been met with eager and willing responses. The laser treatment is somewhat costly for those that receive it, standing currently at $1,000 on average, but there has been some recent reduction of the cost.
The treatment consists of a podiatrist aiming a laser at the patient’s infected toenail and killing off the organisms that are generating the fungus. The laser treatment seems promising, although after the laser treatment has been applied, patients must still wait for their new fungus-free toenails to grow back. The laser treatment will only clear out the organisms causing the fungus to grow. The procedure could take up to an hour to be completed.
Just three years ago, the Food and Drug Administration made clearance for the laser treatment of the fungal infection that grows on toenails, known as onychomycosis. The first laser to be cleared was the PinPointe. The second was the GenesisPlus. The idea of using a laser to treat toenail fungi was first introduced in 2009.
The advantages of receiving the laser treatment far outweigh medications that must be taken orally. The rates of success for laser treatment have been very high thus far and there has been no recorded side effects stemming from the procedure. While oral medications for toenail fungi like Lamisil have been quite effective, they have caused a variety of side effects, for instance Lamisil’s cause of liver problems. Additionally, these oral medications only last for short period of time. For Lamisil, about fifteen percent of persons that took to the drug had the toenail fungus return after one year.
The laser treatment of toenail fungus does not always cure the toenail. However, the procedure does significantly improve the toenail’s health. There is no absolute cure of toenail fungus so individuals suffering from it must research the most effective options for their problem according to the severity of their case. Laser treatment is still fairly new, so there is not a large amount of information available.
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