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Good Results With Laser Treatment For Toenail Fungus

| Monday, 4 November 2013
By Allyson Burke


This particular fungus problem is relatively common. Most people know someone with the condition. Laser treatment for toenail fungus seems to be an excellent way to deal with this problem. Although relatively new, the early results seem to be quite positive.

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.

The particular fungi that cause this condition are called dermatophytes. They tend to thrive in moist environments like the bath or the gym. It can affect one or several nails at the same time. It usually first appears as a small white spot. It can then quickly spread.

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.

Lasers seem to be a much better solution for this condition. The doctor uses a special laser for a brief time period. This causes the fungi to heat up. It is then vaporized and killed. The doctor has the choice of using various wavelengths. He bases how much to use by looking at the severity of each individual patient's case.

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.

Most medical insurance companies see this as a cosmetic procedure as opposed to a medical one. Therefore, most insurance will not cover the cost. You will need to fully discuss the cost with your doctor before he begins the procedure.

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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