Nail Laser

Have your toes been keeping you from wearing sandals, open toe shoes, or even walking barefoot on the beach? Are you frustrated because you've tried many different treatments with no improvement? Well you've come to the right place. Finally, the answer to beautiful, natural looking toenails is here - a pain free laser treatment.

Toenail fungus is a tenacious condition that causes nails to thicken, change colors, and give off foul odors. Aside from an ugly looking appearance, the fungus eats your nail making it weaker, and more susceptible to bacterial infections which can develop in the skin around the nail.

Historically, treatment options have been limited to nail removal, topical solutions, creams, and pills. Solutions and creams reduce the fungus, but cannot penetrate deep under the nail where the fungus breeds. Pills are more effective, but can have harmful side effects, especially in people with drug allergies or liver disease.

Now, we have a new weapon in our battle against toenail fungus - the laser. Penetrating the nail to kill the fungus, the laser brings gentle, near infrared light to where the fungus likes to hide and inactivates it without harming normal tissue. After 4-6 months most nails look significantly better and there is no need to keep your feet hidden!

The exact mechanism of action is still under investigation, but it is clear that the cellular elements in the fungus, which lives under the toenail, become destroyed from the heat and wavelength of the laser beam.

Fungus and mold hate the sun. Think of it. Have you ever seen mushrooms growing on a sunny beach? No because they like moist, dark environments just like the hiding place under your toenail. The fungus lives under your nail and grows there eating your nail and leaving behind smelly, offensive "toe jam". You can't get creams or lotions to penetrate the nail, so the fungus just keeps on munching and breeding until the nail eventually becomes so diseased that it changes its shape and color and grows into the surrounding skin tissue.

PinPointe FootLaser uses microbursts of laser light particles to kill fungal cells.

To prepare the toenails for treatment, the toenails are gently thinned with a micro bur that cools and sanitizes your nails with an anti-microbial mist. Next, an anti-fungal footbath is used to reduce the fungal build up on the skin of the feet and ankles. This is necessary to reduce the risk of re-infection after inactivation with the Pinpointe laser. Every toenail is bathed in the laser light to eradicate the fungus.

The Pinpointe laser treatment begins with microbursts of the laser beam equally distributed over each toenail. Although patients may have only several nails visibly infected with the fungus, it is very important that every nail is given the laser treatment because each nail may be a reservoir of fungus that could infect other toenails. Sometimes the patient experiences a little warming with the treatment, but never enough to require anesthesia.

The laser treatment is completed in 20-30 minutes and the patient is free to resume all normal activities, including nail polish. Recommendations will be made on how to manage your nail conditions and a free follow up is scheduled in 3 and 6 months. After 6-12 months most nails look significantly better and there is no need to keep your feet hidden!