Is laser an effective treatment for toe nail fungus? Recent clinical studies and results from doctors performing the procedure have proven that, yes, laser treatment is an effective pain free method of treating the organisms that cause toe nail fungus. Toe nail fungus is a common condition that occurs when a fungus caused by a small organism invades the area below the nail. Once the nail bed is infected, the fungus easily grows in this dark, damp area and is essentially protected by the nail that covers it. The nails of the infected toe take on a yellow discoloration, become thick, and can soften sometimes causing loss of the entire nail.
Laser treatment for toe nail fungus, also called onychomycosis, is a viable treatment option. Doctors are able to use two different wavelength beams of near-infrared light to penetrate the toenail and kill organisms causing the fungi infection. The laser is moved over the toe nail in a grid-like pattern to ensure every millimeter of the nail plate is treated. Laser treatment has pinpoint accuracy and only destroys the cells responsible for the infection having no effect on healthy tissue. Patients undergoing laser treatment report no side-effects and are able to walk out of the office procedure with little to no pain. The procedure itself only takes approximately ten to fifteen minutes per infected toe. Improvement to the aesthetics of the toe can be seen in as little as three months. A few people report seeing improvements in a matter of weeks, with complete results in six to nine months. Clinical studies have shown an eighty-seven percent effective rate, which is significantly higher than more traditional treatment options. In the past, topical lacquers and creams could not adequately penetrate the nail, and only produced positive results in eight percent of the patients who used them. Prescription oral medication, such as Lamisil, is about seventy percent effective, but has adverse side-effects on the liver and can cause skin rashes.
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