There are a lot of people worldwide who are suffering from fungus in their toenails. It is unfortunate then that the treatments that are available currently, do not really work. With these treatment options, the fungus will inevitably come back within a year at max. Also, these treatments have the potential to have negative consequences as well. Sometimes they have also been known to interact poorly with other medications.
You will be pleased to know that we are not reliant on those treatment methods these days. Laser therapy, or light therapy for fungal infections, has proven to be really effective when it comes to treating fungus in the toes.
Toenail Fungus: What is it?
Fungus in the toenails is a type of fungal infection that is known as onychomycosis. This will normally refer to an overgrowth of fungus that is not too uncommon to have on your person, just like all the other bacteria we have on our bodies. Someone else could have transferred the fungus to you. This is the exact same fungus that is the leading cause of ringworm, athlete’s foot, jock itch, etc.
This particular form of infection occurs when these fungi are able to enter the cracks we have on our toenails. They can really overpopulate the area by themselves. The environment in our toenails is absolutely perfect for the fungus to grow in. The fungus is a very big fan of warm and moist environments. It doesn’t even matter if you stay active and sweat inside the shoes.
The Effects of this Condition
Fungal infections can take some time to fully develop and this may be a reason for people taking time to recognize their condition. Some of the main symptoms of the condition have been listed below.
- Discoloration of the nails
- The nails get a lot thicker than normal
- The shape of the nails becomes a bit twisted or warped.
- The appearance of a white dot on your nails
- The nails become a lot more brittles
- They break easily or they just crumble
- The nails get really flaky
- The toes hurt
- The nails have a distinctly different smell
- The fungus spreads to other parts of the feet.
If the condition gets really out of hand, there will be the development of some bacterial infections as well as ulcerations. This is especially more dangerous if you happen to be diabetic. In some very rare and extreme cases, people have had to lose their lower extremities because of the condition.
Laser Therapy: How Does it Work?
In very basic terms, the device will shine a particular type of light onto your toenails. This light will be able to penetrate the nail and reach the fungus. It has the ability to just vaporize the fungi. These light therapy devices for skin do not harm the tissues and the skin around the fungus.
The laser therapy device is also set up with certain wavelengths of light that will only affect the fungus. When it makes contact with the fungus, it destroys it.
If we were to look into the matter a bit more technically, we can see that there are numerous ways in which the fungus can be destroyed depending on the type of light being used. What we think is a lot more important to understand is that this is a treatment method that has really proven to be effective. The treatment method has also been approved by the FDA.
Just like any other treatment option, the results will take a bit of time to be visible. You will obviously need to wait till your new nails without any fungi grow in. This can easily take a few months. The difference will become very noticeable and apparent when the new nail sets in.
Why is Light Therapy better than other types of treatments?
One of the primary reasons why light therapy is better than other treatment methods is the fact that it is safe. It really does not have any noticeable side effects that are normally associated with antifungal treatment methods. With this type of treatment, you will also not get any unpleasant drug interactions
This is a very good form of treatment for those that are already taking the required drugs and cannot stand the side effects. The treatment method is completely free from pain and is also a lot easier. The best part about this type of treatment, however, has to be the fact that it can get through the nails and destroy the fungi very easily.
In fact, not only can light therapy help you with your toenail fungus problem, it can really come in handy for a whole lot of other reasons as well. We are not exaggerating things at all when we say that the list of benefits that can be derived from light therapy is too long to list here. It is simply beyond the scope of this article to list all the benefits that light therapy has.
Light therapy can really help treat everything starting from skin problems to even mental health problems that a person may be suffering from. In fact, light therapy is one of the go-to treatments when it comes to things like Seasonal Affective Disorder.
This is why getting a light therapy device can really improve the overall quality of your life as well. As mentioned earlier, this therapy model has no side effects, and hence, you can rest easy in the knowledge that this is a totally safe form of therapy.
