Laser Treatment For Nail Fungus Success Rate

Laser treatment of nail fungus.

Laser treatment for nail fungus success rate.

When people ask my opinion on laser therapy for toenail onychomycosis i state something along the lines of. Laser treatment of toenail fungus success rate the past treatment option with anti fungal medications seems undesirable because they do not penetrate deep enough in order to eradicate the fungus. Topical medications are only 10 effective while the oral medications are 30 effective with toxic effects on the liver and kidneys. Oral medications are well studied and have a higher success rate than laser but have potential side effects.

Laser therapy is a treatment for toenail fungus infection onychomycosis a hard to treat infection that changes the appearance and texture of the nail there are several types of laser treatment options including those that use light and those that use carbon dioxide co2. How laser nail fungus treatment works a laser nail fungus treatment is a highly effective way of destroying the fungi within a nail allowing the new nail to grow through over time. The success rate for topical ointments is therefore quite low. Laser treatments for nail fungus do work but it has to be done properly explains dr.

You may need occasional blood tests to check on how you re doing with these types of drugs. Systemic medications taken orally use a more direct approach to address the fungus. Also known as onychomycosis toenail fungus can make nails turn thick change their color and shape and make them crumbly and even painful. Research has shown that as a nail fungus treatment it has a success rate of around 85.

You take the pill the medication is absorbed into your bloodstream and the fungus is attacked within the nail formation process. Treatment success rates with these drugs appear to be lower in adults over age 65. Laser procedures are an fda approved treatment for toenail fungus a nail disorder that according to the cleveland clinic affects nearly 20 of the u s. Sinai and director of the juva skin laser center in new york ny.

The theory is that a precisely directed laser can eliminate the fungus without harming the surrounding nail tissue. Oral antifungal drugs may cause side effects ranging from skin rash to liver damage. The studies are poorly done the evidence is weak and or i wouldn t recommend it as monotherapy when the laser boom was occurring in our profession i would get inundated by patients who believed the laser was the magic bullet to end the dermatophyte invasion in the. Two lasers using different types of laser energy have attracted attention as treatments for fungal infection of the toenails a condition called onychomycosis pronounced oh nee koh my koh sis which can also affect the fingernails.