Toenail fungus is anything but fun. The fungus can cause the toenails to appear discolored, have a foul smell and can eventually damage the toenail, which can warp and thicken due to the fungus. There are several home remedies for toenail fungus, but for optimum results, you should choose laser treatment for toenail fungus.
Options in the past have been limited for the treatment of toenail fungus, including medications that are taken orally or topical treatments that are applied to the toenail. These are not really good treatment options; the results from these types of treatments are hit and miss when it comes to effectiveness.
Laser Treatments for Toenail Fungus
Laser treatment for nail fungus is a quick and effective way to treat toenail fungus. Using lasers, there is the potential for better results than previous treatments, in as little as two sessions.
How Does Laser Treatments for Toenail Fungus Work?
The laser is used to treat the nail bed, or where the nail grows, to eradicate the fungal infection. However, in some cases where the nails have become deformed and twisted, or thickened, the nail must be filed down or removed. This enables the laser to get into the nail bed and treat the infection for future growth of the nail but will not immediately remove the discolored or distorted appearance of the nail that has been caused by the fungal infection.
The light from the laser treatment goes through the nail and kills the fungal infection. Unfortunately, you aren’t going to see results from the treatment immediately. Even though the nail fungus has been killed, the damage that has occurred in the nail must grow out — a process that takes 6 to 12 months, depending on the growth of the nails.
Sessions Required to Treat Toenail Fungus
Depending on the severity of the fungal infection it can take one, two or even three treatment sessions. However, there are some patients who have only had one treatment session and that proved to be enough.
Speaking with the doctor who is going to perform the laser therapy to eradicate the toenail fungus is the only way to know the number of treatment sessions will be enough to cure your fungal infection. A thorough history of the toenail symptoms and examination can help to determine if the laser alone is going to be an adequate treatment plan or if the nail must be filed down or even removed to treat the fungus.
How to Choose a Laser Treatment Clinic
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t visit the first clinic you come across. It pays to do a little research and find out as much as you can about the clinic you want to approach. Call in advance and ask whether they use lasers to treat fungal infections or not. At cleartoesclinic.com in Houston, we have state-of-the-art lasers that are over 90% effective at killing toenail fungus.
