The primary use for lasers in podiatry is to treat toenail fungus.

You can catch toenail fungus anywhere that people who already have the infection walk around barefoot. Swimming pools and communal changing rooms are common places to pick up toenail fungus. The condition is usually due to onychomycosis infection, a fungus that favors warm, dark, damp conditions. 

Toenail fungus infection makes your toenails thicken, change color, and eventually crumble. It can be uncomfortable and unsightly, and although it’s not serious in itself, toenail fungus could lead to infection and the loss of your toenail.

Toenail fungus is especially concerning if you have diabetes, which reduces blood flow to your feet and causes diabetic peripheral neuropathy — a nerve condition that can make your feet go numb. 

These complications of diabetes leave you vulnerable to infection, so it’s important to seek treatment at Innovation Medical Group if you have toenail fungus.

Laser technology uses highly focused light beams that go through your toenail. The energy created by the laser beams destroys toenail fungus down to the tissues beneath your nail.

Laser treatment doesn’t damage your body in any way, and you won’t need any anesthetic. The laser device Innovation Medical Group uses comes with inbuilt temperature monitoring so it can’t get too hot. You should feel minimal discomfort at most; many patients report having no pain at all during their laser treatment.

Your podiatrist focuses the laser beam onto the toenail. When it reaches the temperature required to kill the fungus, the heat cuts out, and the device cools the nail. Laser treatment lasts about 20 minutes. Most patients need to undergo three laser treatment sessions for the best results.

Laser treatment kills toenail fungus instantly. After three laser treatment sessions, there won’t be any living fungus left in your toenail. However, the affected toenail doesn’t look different at first, as the diseased nail needs to grow out.

Total regrowth can take up to 12 months, depending on how quickly your toenails grow. You can use cosmetic products like nail polish straight after your laser treatment to disguise the discolored nail.