The Lunula nail fungus laser treatment machine is fast becoming the preferred method of treating nail fungus and not simply because of the micro-fireworks display that sometimes occurs during treatment sessions. No, laser therapy is finding favour with patients and health care practitioners alike because of the ease of its application, its painless nature, its affordability and, of course, its effectiveness.
Laser treatment of nail fungus is an entirely localized event that does not require the taking of medications, some of which are known to produce side effects including itchy skin and diarrhoea. In addition it will not harm surrounding tissue or other, unaffected nails in the process. Nor will it leave any lasting marks or scars. When the once infected nail tissue is pushed out by the growth of the new, healthy nail it will appear to all as though nothing had ever been awry.
Treatment with the fungus nail laser machine is based on the principle that the right type of laser light applied in the correct manner at the correct intensities will kill the fungus by destroying its ability to reproduce. When coupled with common sense efforts on behalf of the patient to ensure they are taking steps to prevent reinfection it represents the best method of dealing with this condition.
Length of Treatment
Toenail fungus is the type of low level health problem people are typically reluctant to deal with. That’s largely because previous methods of treatment typically had only a small chance of success and because they were fairly expensive and the medications were known to sometimes produce objectionable side effects. In addition, constant visits to the doctor, as well as the medications themselves, could be relatively expensive especially considering success was far from guaranteed.
As a result most people simply bore the burden of their nail fungus for year upon year. Women often painted their nails an opaque colour in order to mask the situation while many men either simply endured the embarrassment or refused to go barefoot or wear sandals during the warm weather months to hide the condition. Thankfully, the nail fungus laser treatment machine now gives these long suffering individuals a real cause for hope.
A word of caution however: once treatment with the fungus nail laser machine is complete the patient will need to be, well, patient because the full effects of the treatment won’t be visible until the new, healthy nail pushes the once-infected nail tissue out of the way. So it’s not as though the nail is going to change from yellow to clear overnight. If proper precautions are taken to prevent reinfection however, the patient should be able to resume their life free once and for all of the scourge of nail fungus.
Laser Treatment and the Pain Myth
Practitioners and champions of other nail fungus treatment methods are sometimes quick to tell patients that they should not try the nail fungus laser treatment machine because of the pain involved. After all, it is laser treatment and the action of lasers is a burning action. Therefore it must be painful. Right? Well, that is what some naysayers would have people believe. But there is no truth to this particular myth.
While it is true that the therapeutic action involved is indeed a “burning” action, “burning” in this case is a relative term. The amount of heat it takes to kill fungal spores is much lower than the amount of heat it takes to cause pain or do damage to human tissue. Therefore, while the spores on the patient’s nails may be popping and sparking the patient won’t feel anything except perhaps a mildly warm glow upon their nail that will dissipate within minutes once the laser has been turned off.
The entire process is incredibly simple. The patient just takes a seat and the clinician, utilizing the fungus nail laser machine, sets to work. There is no need for anesthesia – because as we said, the process is pain free – and the treatment is completely non-invasive. Even though you will sometimes hear this type of therapy referred to as laser surgery it is not actually a surgical procedure and patients should be disavowed of this notion quickly so that it does not colour their attitude toward the procedure.
The Cold Laser Approach
During the treatment session the laser is slowly moved back and forth across the affected nail in a methodical manner. Although the concentrated light beam from the fungus nail machine is wreaking havoc in the fungal colony on the nail the patient feels nothing but a modest warmth; if they feel anything at all. This type of laser is known as a “cold laser” simply because it does not produce a burning sensation in the patient. So, in spite of the fact that many people are unaware of how this type of therapy works – and are expecting something akin to what happens in the dentist’s office – the fact is that cold laser therapy is one of the gentlest types of medical treatment one can undergo and should always be promoted as such.
Okay, But, is the Lunula Nail Fungus Laser safe?
There is still a fair amount of public skepticism regarding lasers and laser therapy in general. Mostly due to people simply not understanding how light can be used to affect a positive medical outcome. Combine that lack of understanding with the fact that humans tend to fear what they don’t understand and the net result is often a type of mistrust when it comes to claims that laser therapy is effective and safe.
The truth, however, is that laser therapy is already widely accepted as a method for removing unwanted facial and body hair as well as for the removal of moles, skin tags and other blemishes. In addition, is it used effective in a number of surgical procedures including the popular lasik (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) eye surgery. Patients who demonstrate a reluctance to undergo this procedure in fact have nothing to fear as laser treatment to cure nail fungus is perhaps the easiest to tolerate of all laser-related procedures.
But not only is the fungus nail machine incredibly safe and easy to tolerate it is also safer in many respects than other forms of nail fungus therapy such as oral medications. These often end up producing a range of odious side effects including headaches, skin rashes, diarrhoea and more. This will never happen with a laser. Clinical studies confirm the safety and effectiveness of laser therapy and patients can rest assured they will emerge from this type of treatment healthy and unharmed by the process.
When can patients expect to be fully recovered?
This is perhaps the only aspect of treatment with the fungus nail laser machine that causes confusion. Some patients enter the process thinking that after 3 or 4 or however many treatments are deemed necessary that their nails will be clear of the infection and return to their normal appearance. What actually happens during treatment is that the spores the fungus uses to reproduce are eliminated. When that task is finished the patient then has to wait for the remnant fungus to die off and new toenail material to grow in to replace the once-infected nail.
As such it will likely be a couple of months before the patient begins to see the healthy new nail pushing out from the root and displacing the old infected material. It is during this replacement phase of the process that some patients start believing that the therapy failed. When in fact if they just wait they’ll soon be able to see the new healthy nail emerging to reclaim its place on the toe or finger.
Preventing Reinfection
Once the fungus nail machine has done its magic it is vital that patients take certain steps to ensure the nail fungus doesn’t rear its ugly head again. These fungi are everywhere and once a person has shown a vulnerability to them it is likely they will come under assault again. But reinfection is not inevitable. To prevent it patients should be advised to:
Keep their hands and feet as dry as possible – The person should keep an extra pair of shoes and dry socks at work in case their feet get wet on the way. If that happens the wet shoes and sock should be removed upon arrival at work and the feet thoroughly dried before putting on the spare socks and shoes. In fact, anytime the feet or hands get wet they should be dried out as quickly as possible. As fungi are attracted to dampness keeping things dry will help prevent a recurrence of nail fungus.
Avoid nail salons – Patients should be advised to avoid nail salons. Busy nail salons often don’t have the time to properly sterilize their equipment between patients. Either that or the employees simply lose track of what has been disinfected and what hasn’t. The result can easily be a new nail fungus infection. Any patient that has taken the time to experience the benefits of the nail fungus laser treatment machine should be advised to stay well clear of nail salons. If this seems like it’s asking too much stress to them they must choose a reputable salon with up to date health inspection certificates and properly trained nail technicians, not people who simply walked in off the street.
Always wear clean socks and shoes – Patients should be advised to change their socks every day and not to wear socks that have not been properly cleaned. The inside of shoes should also be kept clean and sprayed periodically with an antibacterial spray.
The fungus nail machine represents the single biggest leap forward in the treatment of onychomycosis since the introduction of oral medicines to combat the problem several decades ago. Magne-Tec is an industry leader in the sale and distribution of the fungus nail laser machine and can answer all your questions about adding this exciting new type of therapy to your spa or clinic. Contact them today to know more about the treatments.