LASER THERAPY: Toenail fungus (onychomycosis) laser treatment offered at Metrowest Podiatry Services is an proven effective therapy to reduce or eliminate fungus affecting toenail plates. The cost of the laser treatment at Metrowest Podiatry Services is affordable, with a per session price of $200-300 dollars depending on the severity of the fungus and the number of toenail plates affected.
Metrowest Podiatry Services have been performing laser therapy on fungal toenails for greater than 8 years and have developed a treatment regimen that yields spectacular results and high patient satisfaction. The treatment regimen consists of 3-4 quarterly laser sessions lasting approximately 30 minutes per session without supplemation of oral medication (Effective), or 1-2 laser sessions following 6 weeks (Terbinifine) or 4 months (Fluconazole) oral anti-fungal therapy (Highly Effective). The specified time frame allows for a consistent ablation of the fungus over a longer period of time, thereby increasing the overall effectiveness. A yearly maintenance session can be scheduled thereafter ($200 per session) to limit the chance recurrence of the fungal condition.
Studies detail effectiveness of Fotona laser therapy for the treatment of onychomycosis--click to read: Laser Study.
What Exactly Is Toenail Fungus? And If I Have It, What Do I Do About It?
- Toenail fungus (which is also known as Onychomycosis) is a fungal infection of the toe nails, characterized by discoloration, yellow streaks, or white patches, and associated with thickening of the toenail itself. Occasionally the fungus will also turn the flesh beneath the nail a dark color. Over time the nails increase in thickness and become brittle, the edges often crumbling and flaking away. In some extreme cases, the toenail fungus can cause the nail to separate completely from the nail bed and fall off the toe. Sometimes athletes foot (tinea pedis) develops in association with the fungal toenails which is characterized by peeling, itchy, blistered skin on the bottom of the feet and between the toes.
Cases of toenail fungus can often last years, even decades, until they are properly addressed by a physician. If you are reading this, you have no doubt reached the stage where you would like to get rid of the fungal condition entirely (and as soon as possible). The question then becomes: What is the best way to get rid of toenail fungus?
The usual course of treatment in addressing toenail fungus involves either oral medications or topical ointments, creams, or polishes -- or in especially serious cases, the removal of the toenails and direct treatment of the nail bed beneath.
All of these traditional approaches have their limitations however, and they all have their drawbacks. Our experience is that patients would prefer to avoid going on medications, if possible, and if absolutely necessary for the best result, minimize the length of time required to be on oral medication. The ointments and creams and polishes rarely accomplish much and have a documented cure rate of less than 10%. And of course whenever possible we want to avoid having to remove the toenails--as fungal treatment of some sort is still necessary following the removal toenail plate.
You will also find various laser treatments being offered for addressing toenail fungus problems. The problem is, far too often, the lasers being used are either of the wrong wavelength or the wrong beam profile. The most common lasers being used for toenail fungus treatments involve a "quasi-continuous" beam, which simply cannot adequately accomplish what is too often advertised or claimed. Even the lasers on the market that have the correct wavelength and the correct beam, too often have messy, ineffective beam profiles, and as a result simply cannot pack the kind of serious punch needed to kill toenail fungus with any kind of regularity.
Because the traditional approaches to treating toenail fungus are so disagreeable (or so limited in their effectiveness), Metrowest Podiatry Services is excited to now offer a vastly more effective treatment for your toenail fungus problems.
The approach to treating toenail fungus via LASER THERAPY stands out in many ways:
- It requires no oral medications (case specific in nature).
- It involves no surgical procedures or anesthetic (but is slightly uncomfortable and not completely painfree).
- It involves no ointments or lotions other than, perhaps, a topical cream post-procedure (to prevent recurrence).
- It is over 95% effective in treating toe nail fungus--according to publishd studies (link is above)
If you really want to get rid of your toenail fungus problem, you need to call Metrowest Podiatry Services today for a consultation and evalaution. Most toenail fungus requires reduction of the thickness of the toenails prior to laser therapy to increase the efficacy and will be performed on that consultation visit and reappointment for the laser session is made within 2-4 weeks following consultation. Scheduling can be made thru either the Framingham office at 508-879-0811, or at our Marlborough office at 508-481-4534. OF NOTE: Laser therapy is only performed at the FRAMINGHAM location.
Is This Toenail Fungus Treatment Right For You? And Is It Safe?
You will want to have a full assessment of the extent of your toenail fungus condition, but it is reasonable to assume that this procedure will be perfect for you if . . .
- You want to simply get rid of the problem and be done with it without oral or topical medications.
- You want to avoid the hassle of an ongoing regimen of ointments and creams with limited effectiveness.
- You want to avoid (or limit the length of time taking) of the prescription medications usually associated with the treatment of toenail fungus, and avoid the possibility of enduring the surgical alternative of removing the nails.
- You don't want to throw away money on other treatments involving inferior or substandard lasers without all the facts.
Does my insurance pay for this?
Currently the laser toenail fungus procedure is not included as a health insurance benefit in any plan due to the fact that insurance plans consider the laser toenail fungus treatment a cosmetic / aesthetic procedure and therefore does not provide coverage. If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), Medical Individual Retirement Account (Medical IRA) or other Flexible Medical Spending Accounts (Medical FSA), you can pay for the laser fungus treatment with these funds. Otherwise, payment can be made with Apple Pay, Cash, Credit or Debit card.
You have no risk of side effects, and we can take care of your problem in a few short visits spread out over the course of 12 monhts. During the treatment process, you will see a progression of healthy toenail growth during the course of treatment (9-12 months), depending on how quickly your nails grow. Digital pictures will be recorded prior to every treatment session to document the progress of the therapy.
Don't let your toenail fungus get any worse. And don't suffer another day with this uncomfortable problem. It's easy. It's fast. And you can finally be done with your toenail fungus problem and be enjoying healthy nails again!
Metrowest Podiatry employs a Fotona 1064 wavelength YAG laser system at the Framingham location. Please call to see if we can help with your clinical condition.
