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Toe Laser Sacramento
Q: I have been hearing radio ads about laser treatment to cure toenail fungus. Can laser treatment cure toenail fungus?
A: Yes. According to recent studies, laser treatment has cured some patients with toenail fungus.
In fact, several medical tech companies are now marketing their lasers directly at people with toenail fungus.
And with an estimated 10 percent of American adults affected by toenail fungus, the market for this new treatment is large.
These lasers have recently completed some clinical trials and work by irradiating the fungi with a laser while leaving the nail and surrounding tissue unharmed.
The laser treatment is relatively painless and does not carry the risk associated with popular antifungal pills, which can come with the risk of permanent liver damage. Moreover, antifungal pills have less than a 50 percent success rate.
How Much Does Toe Laser Cost?
Toe laser therapy is not cheap. Many podiatrists offer the PinPointe Footlaser treatment. The treatment, which is usually not covered by health insurance, can cost $1,000 or more for a single treatment.
Does Toe Laser Work?
A similar laser treatment called Noveon had about a 50 percent initial success rate in curing active nail infections, according to the results of a recent clinical trial. Six months after the initial treatment, almost 80 percent of the volunteers had clear nail growth according to the same study.
Is Toe Laser Safe?
According to the dermatologists that use the new toe laser treatments, the toenail laser has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
How Is Toenail Fungus Spread?
Medically known as onychomycosis, nail fungus can be spread when infected people shed invisible spores when they walk barefoot on bathroom floors or even across carpets.
Although fungal nail infection is primarily a cosmetic issue it can be a dangerous health problem for people with diabetes or immune disorders.
What Other Toenail Fungus Treatments Are Available?
Some people have found some success with over-the-counter treatments like liquid anti-fungal.
It is important to keep the toe nails trimmed as short as possible and avoid tight fitting shoes. Keeping your toenails cut as short as comfortably possible will help keep the fungus in check.
Keep your feet as dry as possible.
When you do wear socks, you should also powder your toes liberally with an anti-fungal powder spray such as Tinactin or Lotrimin. Make sure your nail areas are covered with the fungus killing powder before putting on your socks. Spraying the inside of your shoes may also be a good idea.
Shoes that you wear often should be left in the sun whenever possible. Toenail fungus can easily live in shoes so keep your shoes as dry as possible.
Dry your feet immediately after showering and use a small brush to remove dead skin and debris from around the affected nails.
There are also prescription medications available such as griseofulvin (Fulvicin), itraconazole (Sporonox), fluconazole (Diflucan), and terfinabine (Lamisil). But be aware that these drug treatments are expensive, are not always covered by insurance, and can come with dangerous side effects such as liver damage.
The best advice is to be preventative and try natural and inexpensive cures first. Or, if you can afford it, give the laser treatment a try.
