Understanding Merits And Demerits Of Laser Treatment For Toenail Fungus

The toenail fungal infection is not something that anyone would wish for although it is very common particularly in summers. The treatment on the hands turns out to be a headache as the fungi grows on dead tissue under the nails making it difficult to be reached by medication. The oral medicines on the other hands have side effects that make the users think twice before trying out. Further research on the most effective, convenient and cheaper solutions for treating this condition are going on and the most recent approach discovered is laser treatment for toenail fungus.The fungal infection affecting toe nail is scientifically referred to as onychomycosis. It results from attack by dermatophyte fungus which lives on the dead tissues in the outer layer of the skin. When it progresses to nails, the results are ugly looking and discolored nails. It is most commonly witnessed in old men although it does not discriminate age or sex. The best prevention and management methods include wearing very clean socks, avoiding walking of bare feet and washing feet frequently.Other than this, the tropical medicines which ought to work very well may not work at all. The problem is that nails are highly impermeable and as such, fungi under the nail are not killed. Worse still, the infection may not produce any symptom other than the unpleasant looking toe nails. Theoretically, a medication that can work effectively and very fast at low costs would be the best solution but this is simply unavailable.The oral medication is also a common approach today. It is believed to be the most effective but as already said, the fungi leave on dead skin tissues making it almost impossible to be eliminated by this forms of medication. The worst challenge however remains in side effects that come with this method. In fact, most people are not willing to experience these side effects. Using surgical procedure to remove nail plate is also used but most experts believe it is ineffective.Due to these challenges, the research into very effective, more convenient and less expensive way of treating onychomycosis has never stopped. The most recently discovered alternative is laser treatment for toenail fungus.Laser solution to onychomycosis is relatively new in the market and as such, there is too little data to make conclusion on its effectiveness although the majority who have tried agree that it is a very effective solution to this problem. It works by inhibiting the growth of fungi allowing the body defense to clear infections already existing. The procedure takes just 30-45 minutes for all the ten toenails although the time may vary depending on severity of infections.Several studies have been conducted and others are still going on now, all with the aim of fully exploiting this relatively new way of solving the menace of fungi. Although the results are very promising from the studies conducted so far, the full use of this method is not yet common.With all the positive feedback supporting laser treatment for toenail fungus, it is too early to confidently say the method is the only way out of this condition. In fact, the fact that no side effects are reported does not mean that it is 100% safe. The technology requires very expensive investment making is highly unlikely to be a cheaper alternative.