how to use blue light treatment for toenail fungus

The blue light also helps to stop the fungus from affecting other toes in the area. At home lasers are very easy to use; you just put the unit on the infected area and press the operating button. The treatment light will begin to blink, and the device will emit visible blue light.

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How to treat toenail fungus with UV light?

Nov 19, 2021 · Our office offers LASER treatment for fungal nail infection using the FDA approved low level light laser from Erchonia. This is a safe class 2 LASER which uses a dual diode emitting light of 635 NM red laser light and 405 NM blue laser light. Treatment of both feet, is done simultaneously which requires 12 minutes per session. Four sessions, one week apart is …

Does red light therapy for toenail fungus work?

Nov 01, 2021 · The blue light also helps to stop the fungus from affecting other toes in the area. At home lasers are very easy to use you just put the unit on the infected area and press the operating button. The treatment light will begin to blink, and the device will emit visible blue light.

How does laser light treatment for nail fungus work?

HyperBlue Laser for Fungal Toenails. A specially designed laser beams through the toenail and safely kills the organisms embedded in the nail bed that cause Onychomycosis – more commonly known as toenail fungus. The procedure requires one or a small number of safe, quick treatments with little or no discomfort and is performed as an outpatient service with no anesthesia.

What is the best treatment for toenail fungus?

Nov 20, 2019 · Using this light directed at the affected area can be very effective. In order to apply the correct treatment so the fungus does not return, it is important to also treat the shoes on the inside with the UV light. If a lamp is not available, then direct sunlight can also do the job.

Does blue light therapy work for toenail fungus?

Laser therapy is applied to toenail onychomycosis by shining a laser light through the toenail. The laser light vaporizes the fungus while leaving the skin and surrounding tissue unharmed....Study of the Use of Low Level Laser Light Therapy to Treat Toenail Fungus.Masking:None (Open Label)Primary Purpose:Treatment9 more rows

Does light therapy work on toenail fungus?

Looking at the clinical trial data/facts, laser nail fungus treatment is effective. A 2016 study by the FDA found that patients who received laser foot treatment displayed clear nails at three months and six months after treatment.Feb 18, 2021

Can you use UV light on toenail fungus?

Onychomycosis responds to systemic antifungals and sometimes to topical lacquers, but alternative treatments are desirable. Topical application of germicidal ultraviolet (UV) C radiation may be an acceptable and effective therapy for infected nails.Apr 10, 2008

Do home lasers work on toenail fungus?

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.

Can you scrape out toenail fungus?

If your fungus doesn't clear up at home, you should check in with a dermatologist (a skin, hair, and nail specialist) or podiatrist (a foot doctor.) They may gently scrape under your nail to get rid of some of the fungus or send it to the lab for diagnosis.Nov 12, 2020

What is the most effective treatment for toenail fungus?

The best pill for toenail fungus is terbinafine. Evidence suggests it works better than the alternatives with the fewest side effects. Terbinafine results in resolution of toenail fungus 76% of the time.Aug 27, 2021

How long does it take for toe fungus to clear up?

Oral antifungal drugs. You typically take this type of drug for six to 12 weeks. But you won't see the end result of treatment until the nail grows back completely. It may take four months or longer to eliminate an infection.Jul 14, 2020

What light kills fungus?

Ultraviolet Light#1 – Ultraviolet Light Disinfects Everywhere the Light Touches. Ultraviolet (UV) Light is a proven technology that has been killing mold, fungus, bacteria, and viruses since the beginning of time.Dec 19, 2017

What does UV light do to your nails?

The nails cure and dry quickly, but the light does more than illuminate the nail area. It also illuminates the delicate skin on the back of the hand. There is growing concern among medical professionals that increased UV exposure from nail lights poses a skin cancer risk.

What happens if you don't treat toenail fungus?

If you let a nail fungus infection go for too long, several problems emerge. The infected nail can become misshapen and increasingly separated from your nail bed. Itching and pain are unpleasant side effects; if they're too severe, you can have trouble wearing shoes or walking.

How do I know if my toenail fungus is healing?

Nail fungus can be resistant to treatment and nails take a long time to grow out, so it can take several weeks or months for an infection to be fully resolved. You will know that the treatment is working and the infection is clearing up when you see growth of a new, healthy nail from the base of the nail bed.

What is the cost of laser treatment for toenail fungus?

The cost varies depending on the number of nails involved and severity of the infection. The national average for laser treatment is between $500 and $1200.

How to get rid of nail fungus?

Since nail fungus is pretty hard to get rid of and to stop reinfection, there are a few simple things to do to help ensure that your laser treatments are as effective as possible. Keep your feet as dry as possible and expose them to light and fresh air often. Change your socks and shoes if they get wet.

How to treat a swollen toenail?

What else should you do to ensure successful treatment? 1 Keep your feet as dry as possible and expose them to light and fresh air often. 2 Change your socks and shoes if they get wet. Keep a dry pair of socks available if there is any chance of your feet getting wet. 3 If you are in public places like a pool or locker pool always wear flip flop or sandals. 4 Trim your nails frequently. 5 Use foot baths and soaks with tea tree oil 6 If you get manicures or pedicures, bring your own tools so you can ensure that they are sterile. 7 Consider using an Ultraviolet (UV) Shoe Sanitizer to help kill any bacteria that may linger in your shoes.

Why do my nails turn white?

It is caused when microscopic spores of fungus infect the skin. As it gets deeper into the nail, it may cause thickening, discoloration, and crumbling edges of the nail. It can lead to nails that change colors to white, black, yellow or green.

What is laser toenail?

These DIY lasers rely on a particular type of intense light to kill the fungus, which is a common cause of painful, unsightly toenails. They are part of the new wave of at home ‘laser’ products that can help with pain relief, skin care, anti-aging, and hair removal.

How does a pulse laser work?

The pulse laser goes deep into the tissue and target causative pathogens that are on the nail bed. They use a wavelength of around 900 nm, so the laser can penetrate deeply into the tissue, while the blue light works on fighting the fungus cells found on the outer surface of the nail.

What is cold laser?

These at-home products use something called ‘pulse laser’ or ‘low-level laser therapy,’ it is also sometimes referred to as ‘cold’ laser since the low levels of light are not enough to heat your body’s tissue. These products that treat fungus are mostly a combination of pulse laser radiation and blue light energy.

How does Cure Ex work?

Cure Ex combines two types of radiation: low-level laser pulse radiation and visible blue light. Cure Ex goes after the fungus spores that are under the nail and can kill off the fungus. It can be used on all infected toes or fingers without any worry of the fungus being transferred. The Cure-Ex has a laser wavelength of 906nm with a blue light wavelength of 470nm. The laser intensity is 22W. You would use it on affected areas minimum once a day for 7 minutes per area. The unit will turn off automatically when the treatment is finished for each area, and you can safely move it to another toe or finger if more than one needs to be treated without having to clean the device (the bacteria is killed off by the blue light). It is a simple unit to operate; all you need to do is press one button to start the treatment.

What is toenail fungus?

Toenail fungus is a fungal infection called onychomycosis. Tinea unguium is another name for it. It’s an overgrowth of fungi that are often found on your body together with other bacteria. You can get the fungi from someone else too, like at a nail salon if the tools aren’t properly sterilized.

Can fungus spread to other toenails?

The fungus can also spread to your other toenails and the skin around the nail. If it gets really bad, you can develop a bacterial infection too and ulcerations. This is quite dangerous if you’re a diabetic. For some, it has even led to loss of their lower extremities.

What is the best treatment for toenail fungus?

Since these treatments are lacking, people began looking for toenail fungus alternative treatments. Enter laser therapy. Studies show its success in clearing fungal infection and so it was FDA cleared and began to be a top-pick in treating toenail fungus.

Is laser therapy pain free?

We like the non-thermal laser therapy as it is pain-free since it doesn’t use heat. It is still absorbed by the fungus only and damages the structure of the fungus. But what you need to know is that laser therapy has been proven effective in clinical trials and because of this, the FDA began clearing laser devices.

What happens if you get a fungal infection on your toenail?

Here are some of the symptoms to look out for: Your nail becomes discolored — often it turns yellow, brown, or white. Your nail becomes thinker than usual.

How long does it take for a topical antifungal to work?

Both topicals and oral meds require long-term applications and topicals can get quite expensive. Topical antifungals can take up to a year to show results.

Is laser therapy better than other treatments?

Among other reasons, laser therapy is better than other therapies because it is safe . It doesn’t have any of the side effects that come with the antifungals. It also doesn’t have the drug interactions that the oral antifungals can have.

What Causes Nail Fungus?

Sometimes painful and always unsightly, fungal nail infections are not conditions to be left untreated. Toenail onychomycosis does not go away on its own and must be treated to avoid secondary infections, permanent nail damage, and possibly loss of the nail.

Nail Fungus Treatment Challenges

Depending on the type of fungal infection, your doctor may have prescribed a topical cream applied to the nail that must be applied once or twice a day; a topical medicated nail polish; oral antifungal medicines; or laser treatment, which removes damaged parts of the nail and/or skin.

Red Light: An Ally Against Fungal Nail Infections

Researchers have successfully used infrared laser treatment for onychomycosis infections. The treatment, called photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT), involves a combination of photosensitizing drugs and specific wavelengths of visible light.

Red Light Therapy: Healing at the Cellular Level

Red light has a powerful stimulating effect on your body’s cells, circulatory system, immune system, and collagen production.

Steps to Help Prevent Onychomycosis

In the case of toenail fungus, prevention is better than cure. Once you have onychomycosis, however, here are steps you can take to make your feet inhospitable to various fungi.

Support Your Body with Red Light to Fight Onychomycosis

Red light therapy for nail fungus is a viable complementary therapy for conventional antifungal treatments. It supports your body in fighting off the infection and in accelerating normal skin and nail growth.

How to treat nail fungus?

The newest method to tackle nail fungus is laser light treatment . Essentially, a laser beam penetrates the thickened nail and destroys the affected tissue — without damaging the healthy tissue that surrounds it.

Can laser nail removal help toenail fungus?

Facing debridement or complete removal of the nail is a horrifying thought for those who suffer from toenail fungus. Laser methods keep the nail intact, meaning the nail will look better after this treatment than some other treatments.

When was laser toenail removal approved?

Though laser toenail removal is a fairly new removal method, having been introduced into the medical community in the mid-2000s and approved by the FDA in 2010, the initial studies showed that it had a clinical response rate of 87%.

Can you remove a nail with laser?

When topical creams and antifungal pills don’t work in clearing up an infection (which happens often, as onychomycosis has a recurrence rate of 10% to 50%), laser removal may be a last option, short of surgically removing the nail.

Can lasers damage skin?

Though it is rare, some doctors argue that there is a possibility for skin and tissue damage when the laser beam is directed to the deepest levels of the nail.