LASER TREATMENT
Get the best Podiatry Laser Treatments at Frederick Foot and Ankle
You no longer have to feel embarrassed about wearing open-toe shoes, sandals or going barefoot because of the discoloration caused by toenail fungus. Our laser treatments for toenail fungus will help restore their natural and luminous appearance. We also offer laser therapy for pain management in all locations.
Laser Treatment
for Nail Fungus
Laser therapy is one of the most effective and safe toenail fungus treatment options available. Onychomycosis, also referred to as tinea unguium, is a chronic fungal infection of the nail. It typically affects the toenails but can also affect the fingernails.
Nail fungus manifests as yellow toenails or white toenail fungus, nail thickening, and separation of affected nails from the nail bed. Toenail fungus and fingernail fungus infection can be incredibly difficult to treat. The efficacy of the current treatment options, including oral, topical, chemical and mechanical therapies or a combination of these options is low.
Due to advancements in laser technology and years of research, laser therapy presents itself as the recommendable nail fungus treatment option. Laser treatment at Fredrick Foot and Ankle is effective, fast and painless.
How Laser
Treatment Works
A laser device emits pulses of energy, which impart heat to your tissue including your nails and skin. The laser energy is able to penetrate through your toenail to the nail bed.
By using selected wave-lengths or pulsing the laser, we are able to minimize heat on your skin. Doing this reduces the risk of pain and bleeding and protects the surrounding healthy tissue from damage. The laser kills any mold or fungal organisms thus exerting antifungal activity.
These microbes are killed when they absorb the heat from the laser. One laser treatment session takes approximately 15 minutes. The procedure is painless for most people. Some patients can experience a warm sensation, typical of most laser treatments.
Expectations Following Treatment
It takes time for an infected toenail to clear out the following treatment. The results are not immediate. The speed at which the toenail fungal infection clears out depends on how fast your nails grow out (this varies for each
patient).
The laser treatment kills the fungal cells, but the thickness and discoloration remain. The discolored nail is trimmed off as the newly restored nail grows in. Generally, it takes between 9 and 12 months for a fully affected nail to completely grow out. However, depending on the extent of the fungal infection, you will exhibit notable improvements before this time.
Some patients experience infection resolution with a single treatment. Nonetheless, we may prescribe additional treatments depending on individual results. Frederick Foot and Ankle recommends three sessions spaced one month apart.
Laser Therapy for Treating Pain
Frederick Foot and Ankle offers laser therapy for acute and chronic pain management. Protein strands called chromophores contained in human tissue have the ability to absorb and convert laser light energy. This interaction affords several notable health applications as detailed below:
- Quick Pain Relief – The interaction between laser light energy and human tissue causes a decrease in bradykinin. Bradykinin is a chemical that elicits pain (inflammation). Lowered levels of this chemical cause a reduction in nerve sensitivity.
Laser therapy also facilitates the release of endorphins (natural painkillers) and enkephalins. This produces an analgesic effect. Laser therapy also increases the flow of blood to damaged tissue and accelerates your body’s natural repairing process.
- Faster Tissue Repair – Light photons from the laser penetrate deep into human tissue and help speed up cellular reproduction and growth. This leads to faster repair of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
- Accelerated Wound Healing – Laser energy helps stimulate collagen building blocks. Collagen is essential for the healing of damaged tissues resulting from wounds and injuries.
The laser therapy for pain at Frederick Foot and Ankle is non-invasive, non-ablative and painless. It does not cause any damage or trauma to treated tissues. Treatment sessions last approximately 10-15 minutes. You can undergo up to three laser therapy treatments a week with a recommended total of 10 treatments.