Laser treatment is currently the most effective treatment for toenail fungus — but what does it cost? You now have two payment options, depending on the severity of your toenail fungus, and how aggressively you want to treat it.
Option 1: The full-force, fungal annihilation treatment! This is a package of four laser treatments, recommended if you have fungus on multiple toenails or if your nail fungus is very severe, requiring multiple treatments. In the Journal of Fungi, Liddell and Rosen came to the following conclusion regarding laser therapy for toenail fungus, "The evidence to date has not indicated superior outcomes in long-term endpoints to standard of care systemic therapy and postulated anti-fungal mechanisms remain unverified.
Despite the scarcity of peer-reviewed literature investigating this topic, lasers have quickly risen to be considered among viable treatments for onychomycosis. As many offices have previously acquired a laser device for prior indications, it is understandable that physicians would be eager to discover additional innovative applications for these devices. Financial incentives may also have a role in widespread adoption. Sufficiently powered randomized control trials compared to previously existing therapeutic options are needed before lasers are deemed a standard of onychomycosis treatment.
Moreover, head-to-head comparisons between different laser devices would be required in order to determine which device is optimum for the various morphological types of onychomycosis and the assorted etiologic fungi.
With so many types of lasers and so many different treatment protocols, there truly is no way of knowing which types of lasers have better results and which protocols are best. In addition, there are no true studies to confirm the laser treatment effectiveness. When you combine all of that with the cost of laser treatments, it is difficult to recommend laser treatments for toenail fungus at this time.
As noted in the studies above, traditional treatments were as good or better than laser therapy alone. Fungi are typically attracted to dark, damp areas under and around the toenail. Once the fungus gets under a toenail it can be extremely hard to get rid of it because it is deeply embedded under the nail.
Is there a cure for toenail fungus? Antifungal pills and topical creams are the most common types of treatments for toenail fungus, but they are not always successful. As a result, some people are looking to lasers for toenail fungus treatments. This painless procedure takes less than 30 minutes. When zapping the toe fungus, a doctor follows a grid-like pattern, passing a laser over the toenail to kill the germs and microbes that are causing the infection, leaving the nail and surrounding tissue intact.
The laser does not damage healthy tissue. This is in addition to the millions of dollars Americans spend on home remedies such as tea tree oil, Vicks VapoRub, Listerine, and Clorox that have yet to be proven treatments.
Topical ointments are reportedly 8 percent effective, while pills, such as Lamisil, are 50 percent effective, but can have side effects on the liver. Toenail fungus laser treatments, which have no side effects, have been reported to be 87 percent effective.
Laser treatments have previously been used for cataract, dental and hair removal treatments, so this treatment for toenail fungus is simply another use for lasers in the medical field. Nomir Medical Technologies has developed the Noveon laser to treat antibiotic-resistant staph infections and toenail fungus, while PathoLase Inc. Laser treatment for toenail fungus is an in-office procedure and the patient is awake the entire time; another plus is that there is no recovery period or down time after a laser treatment.
You can ask your doctor about laser treating your toenail fungus as it is a highly effective way to cure it. He is practicing in LA, CA. Is it painful? Most of the time, you will need just one or two treatments, and treatment takes only a few minutes.
The treatment is not painful, and you will be able to walk out of the office after the procedure. New, healthy nails should be visible during the first 3 months, with complete nail replacement in 6 to 9 months.
How well does the treatment work? This is a relatively new technology, and only a few studies have been done by doctors. In another, smaller study [2], seven of eight people treated with a laser for two or three treatments had their fungus disappear.
No side effects were reported, and people who were treated were happy with the procedure. Will the fungus come back?
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