Laser Therapy

Toenail fungus is a fungal infection called onychomycosis. Tinea unguium is another name for it.

It’s an overgrowth of fungi that are often found on your body together with other bacteria. You can get the fungi from someone else too, like at a nail salon ifthe tools aren’t properly sterilized. It’s the same fungi that cause ringworm, jock itch, or athlete’s foot.

The problematic infection happens when the fungi get in through the cracks in your toenails and start to overpopulate in, on, or under the nail. It just loves warm, moist environments and often finds that in your toenail, especially when you wear shoes. And it’s even happier if you’re active and sweat in your sports shoes.

The fungal infection has an effect on your toenail but usually takes a while to develop and spread so you might not notice it at first.

Here are some of the symptoms to look out for:

• Your nail becomes discolored, yellow, brown, or white
• Your nail becomes thicker than usual
• Your nail shape becomes warped or twisted
• A white dot appears on your nail and becomes larger
• Your nail becomes brittle and breaks easily or crumbles
• Your nail gets flaky on top or underneath
• Your nail loosens or separates from the nail bed
• You feel pain in your toe or foot
• Your nail has a weird smell

In simplified terms, the laser therapy device shines a laser light into the toenail, penetrating down on, in, and through the nail to reach the fungus. It “vaporizes the fungus.” It also leaves the skin and tissue around the fungus alone.

Essentially, the laser device is set at a certain wavelength that only the fungus will absorb. When it penetrates the fungus, it destroys it.

As with all the treatments, you won’t see the results right away. You will start to see the difference as the new nail comes in. The laser targets the fungus and stimulates an average of 6.1mm new clear nail growth at 6 months.

At Premier Podiatry podiatrist office in NJ, we use the first and only non-thermal cold laser device to get FDA market clearance to treat onychomycosis. It has passed through three successful clinical trials to ensure its safety and effectiveness. The laser uses a low-level laser wavelength and offers many benefits including:

• Fast – 4 weekly 12-minute treatments
• Safe – FDA approved & made in the USA
• Painless – no pain and no harmful side effects
• Highly-effective – 89% of people experience new clear nail growth in 6 months
• Convenient – there is zero downtime