This nail condition is a relatively common one. You may suffer with it yourself, or you may know someone who suffers with it. The good news is that laser treatment for toenail fungus is showing some very promising results. It is a somewhat new procedure, but so far, it seems to be doing a good job.

Toe fungus looks very ugly. It can cause the nails to become hard, thick, and discolored. It can also cause them to become very soft and start to peel. It sometimes results in the total loss of the toenail. It is more common in the elderly and is much more prevalent in males than in females.

Dermatophytes is the technical term for this specific type of fungi. Fungi best thrive in conditions that are moist and wet, such as in a shower or gym. Often more than one nail is affected. The first signs of a problem are usually small white spots on the nail. It has the ability to spread to other nails rather quickly.

In the past both topical and oral medication have been used to treat this nail condition. However, neither approach has been really successful. The oral medications tend to work only about 50 percent of the time. The topical application is even less effective working an average of only 10 percent of the time. The condition also has a tendency to reoccur in many patients.

Lasers seem to be a much better solution for this condition. The doctor uses a special laser for a brief time period. This causes the fungi to heat up. It is then vaporized and killed. The doctor has the choice of using various wavelengths. He bases how much to use by looking at the severity of each individual patient's case.

There have been no adverse side effects shown with those who use this method. Unlike the other ways to treat which did sometimes have bad side effects for the user. It is done as an office procedure and will take around twenty minutes to complete. One positive for using this method to treat is that no damage is done to the nail or the toe. Shoes may be worn immediately after the procedure. It may take several treatments. It all depends on the problem's severity. This is something you need to discuss with your doctor.

Most medical insurance companies see this as a cosmetic procedure as opposed to a medical one. Therefore, most insurance will not cover the cost. You will need to fully discuss the cost with your doctor before he begins the procedure.

There have been promising results with using laser treatment for toenail fungus. It seems to be effective for about ninety percent of the users. It may take a long time for the healthy nail to grow back. More studies are being done to test for its long term results. With other types of treatments, the problem has come back with some patients. This procedure is so new that it is unclear if it will be a long term solution. However, so far it seems to be the best way available to deal with this condition. Be sure to talk with your doctor to see if he believes this is a good option for you to try.