Toenail Fungus?

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Don't get me wrong, a No-Contact Laser Treatment is the BEST option, not the only one, you do have choices. There are plenty of treatments available such as:

Antifungal cream/lacquer has the lowest success rate, ranging from 5-12% (more like 5% or less in my experience). Unless you have extremely mild toenail fungus, topical treatments are very unlikely to effectively penetrate into, underneath, and around the affected toenail. 

Prescribed Oral Medications work somewhat better (around 60%, though likely less).  However…and this is big, however… oral antifungal medications have significant medical risks and often interreact with other prescription drugs.  Oral medications should not be prescribed without consulting a primary care physician, in order to ensure safety and protection during the months you would be taking these pills. Side effects might include liver failure, rash, loss of taste, or change of taste (patients tell me food tastes like metal or tinfoil for months on end), headaches, stomach discomfort, and lupus-like symptoms.

Topical Medications require daily applications for at least a year, and often longer.  Even then, a lifetime of application on some level is required to prevent a recurrence.  Oral medications, similarly, require several months of pills and are usually associated with recurrence at some point afterward.

Another treatment option is Surgery having your entire nail surgically removed is a course of action I strongly discourage this approach. I've had a number of patients have come into my office after having this toenail procedure done elsewhere, and the fungus was still there!

So What's the Best Treatment for Toenail Fungus?

No-Contact Laser treatment is a quick, easy, and painless alternative to traditional approaches.  Plus:

• It's SAFE. Laser treatment of toenail fungus doesn’t have any of the side effects that come with oral medications. It also doesn’t interact with any of your medications.  It is safe in pregnancy.  It is safe with diabetes, high blood pressure, vascular disease – In fact, it is so safe there are NO CONTRAINDICATIONS documented for laser treatment of toenail fungus. 
• There are NO SIDE EFFECTS. Zero. None. You walk in, have the treatment, you walk out.  Nothing changes.
• There is NO PAIN.  Some older laser models work off heat which may tingle and be uncomfortable, sometimes even painful.  But the newer laser available (Lunula) does not have this effect and you don’t feel a thing during or after the treatment.  It’s the first and only available non-thermal (aka pain-free) device that is FDA cleared to treat onychomycosis, and we have one here for you.
• IT WORKS.  Studies show about 85% efficacy for the older lasers and up to 93% cure rate for the new lasers.  Multiple clinical trials have proven the safety and cure rate of Lunula laser treatment for toenail fungus.
• NO DOWN TIME.  After treatment, you can go straight back to work or for a run. 
• NO INTERACTIONS. No pills means no interactions at all with other medications.  No radiation either.
• IT’S FAST.  Plan on about 12 minutes for each foot, regardless of how may nails are affected.  That’s it… you’re in and out.
• NO CONTACT.  The Lunula laser requires no office person to perform the treatment, so there is no unnecessary COVID-19 exposure to you during your treatment.  Give us a call at (301) 515 – FEET (3338) or send us a message through our website at www.GWAPodiatry.com so we let you know how to take advantage of our unique NO CONTACT LASER VISIT options.

How Long Does the Process Take and Is There Anything I Can Do at Home That Can Help?

As with every different type of treatment, you won’t see the results right away. It usually takes about three months for you to see a healthy nail start to grow in at the bottom, sometimes longer.  After that, it will take a year or two for the nail to fully grown in all the way out to the tip.  As slow as a glacier, this new nail can take a long time to grow in, so patients is key. 

Home treatments do NOT treat the toenail fungus infection, however, home treatments are necessary to prevent the infection – and most importantly they prevent re-infection. 

The laser treatment itself is fast and painless.  You will go straight back to work or your day with no downtime.  The laser does not remove the toenail whatsoever.  In fact, the laser does not remove the fungus, rather it kills the fungus, leaves it there, then you come back again and repeat the process. You leave wondering if anything has even happened – but it has – and results follow.  After a few months, you usually start to see the new toenail growing in at the bottom.  Patience is key.  Nothing happens fast in this world of toenail fungus.  Homework is important i.e. treating your shoes and/or applying urea gel to the nails so that you don’t get re-infected from your environment.

OK! I Want to Start Treating My Toenail Fungus Today. What's Next?

Schedule a consultation using the form in upper left corner of the page or you can call our office at (301) 515 – FEET (3338)