Whether you realize it or not, your toenails are an important defense mechanism for your feet. The hard keratin tissue helps protect the ends of your toes from injury. However, the nails can become ingrown or infected and sustain unsightly and uncomfortable damage. The most common and problematic condition that affects your toenails is a fungal infection caused by microscopic fungi. The organism that causes the problem exists on its own in nature, breeding rapidly in warm, damp places. Fungus breaks down the nail tissue, creating thickened, brittle, and discolored nails. They may smell somewhat foul, crack, or separate from the nail bed as well. Patients with a weakened immune system response, as with diabetes, are particularly at risk.
There are many ways to treat nail fungus such as topical medications, oral medications and laser therapy. Each treatment has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage with topical nail treatment is that it has no side effects associated with it. However, because your nails grow from inside of the skin, topical medications do not effectively reach the damaged nail growth center. The best topical nail product on the market only works about 8% of the time as a stand-alone treatment. Oral antifungal medications like Lamisil and Sporanox work about 50% of the time. The problem with the oral treatment is the growing list of side effects associated with these medications such as permanent liver damage, eye problems and loss of taste. Blood work is also necessary throughout this course of treatment because of the potential risks to your liver.
The laser treatment uses light to kill fungus without damaging your nails or the skin around them. The treatment consists of three separate laser treatments four months apart. You can start treatment on your first visit, the second treatment will be on your four month visit and the final treatment will be at eight months. Country Foot Care has been achieving a success rate of about 90% with use of the laser, which includes nails that are completely clear, or dramatically improved. Using topical medications in conjunction with the laser further enhances your results.
If you suffer with toenail fungus, call the doctors at Country Foot Care at (516) 741-FEET to discuss which treatment option is best for you.