YES OR NO TO LASER FOR FUNGUS NAILS?

Fungal infection of the toenail (onychomycosis) is a difficult to treat condition. The infection causes discolored, bumpy, ugly toe nails that can be hard to cut. The treatment is challenging because the beasties live in the nail bed (the part that we can’t see, beneath the skin). This is an extremely common problem, shared by up to 10% of the US population. If you are over 40, the number rises to 25% in that age group; and if you are over 60, sufferers from toe nail fungus can be as high as an estimated 50%! Up until very recently, treating toe nail fungus has been challenging due to the hardy nature of the fungus that resides under your nail.

 Topical therapies are largely ineffective because they don’t penetrate into the nail bed. The standard treatment is oral anti-fungal medications. The oral medication makes it to the nail bed by traveling through the blood stream, but the down side is the medications have to be taken for 3-9 months. The success rates range from 30-90% depending on the severity of the infection and the medication. High-dose fluconazole (450 mg) taken one a week for 12 weeks seems to have the best success rate (90% cure). Some treatment regimens require blood monitoring and all anti-fungal medications have drug interactions to consider.

Topical medications or lacquers are largely ineffective and designed to mostly prevent the spread or worsening of the condition. Oral medications are estimated to be about 50% successful, but those drugs are not tolerated well by many patients and risk of liver damage is an overriding concern. The latest and most effective treatment for the removal of toe nail fungus is laser therapy. Within this category, the HyperBlue diode laser has produced promising and successful results and is FDA-approved for the treatment of toe nail fungus.

So, given the option of taking a prescription medication for months (that might not work in the long run) and the prospect of blood monitoring and potential medication interactions, it’s no wonder people are intrigued by the idea of a laser.

With any “new” medical therapy (really, with any therapy) it’s best to go to an expert. For toenail fungus that’s typically a family physician, a dermatologist or a podiatrist (foot doctor). That way you can get a correct diagnosis and hear about all your options before proceeding with the laser treatment. So call your doctor today because remember when your feet hurt, you hurt all over!