Treatment of nail fungus with PinPointe laser in Moscow ✓ Podology Clinic

Nail disease

Nail fungus is a very common disease. Many consider it only a cosmetic defect, so they consult a doctor only when changes in the nail become too obvious. In fact, nail fungus (onychomycosis) is a condition that requires treatment, which is unlikely to be cured by a classic pedicure or occasional use of nail polishes with antiseptic active substances (no matter what the advertising claims). The main thing that a person facing the problem of nail fungus needs to know is that to effectively solve the problem, the help of a qualified specialist - a dermatologist - is necessary.

How does nail fungus manifest?

Nail fungal infection can be suspected by the following signs:

change in nail color: at first the nail becomes opaque, then areas of gray, yellow, brown or other color appear,
thickening of the nail: in the initial stages of the disease, areas of thickening are insignificant, then the fungus takes over the entire nail plate,
the nail crumbles and collapses: this symptom may be the very first or appear along with thickening of the nail,
itching and redness of the skin around the nail,
hemorrhage under the nail plate, discoloration of the skin on the fingertips.

There are a lot of varieties of fungi, as well as variants of the course of the disease, so if one of the listed signs appears, it is best to consult a doctor, who will prescribe special tests to clarify the diagnosis and draw up an individual treatment program.

How and where can you get infected with a fungus?

There is a widespread belief that you can become infected with fungus only in public places - in fitness clubs and swimming pools, saunas and beauty salons. However, if a person is healthy and follows basic rules of personal hygiene and uses preventive measures, the likelihood of contracting a fungus is minimal. It is worth noting that fungal spores are present everywhere in the environment. However, widespread infection does not occur, because a healthy person has good resistance to the fungus. So even with contact with it, the disease does not develop. A person of any age can become infected with foot or nail fungus. Basically, the fungus develops in the presence of health problems, for example, in the following cases:

with increased sweating in the foot area: in such conditions, an ideal environment is created for the fungus, complemented by uncomfortable shoes, untimely hygiene, and lack of cosmetic foot care; For people with sweating problems, the likelihood of developing foot and nail fungus increases by 70%!
Most often, young people are affected by toenails, which in our temperate climate is associated with almost year-round wearing of closed shoes, socks, and tights.
If you have foot diseases - flat feet or other deformities, or any general diseases of the body, for example, diabetes, the likelihood of developing nail fungus is also increased.

As we age, diseases accumulate that reduce our overall health. Elderly people suffer from nail fungus more often, since metabolism and the speed of biological reactions in the body slow down, and immunity decreases. Often it is an elderly family member who becomes the source of infection. Nail fungus has a peculiarity! The disease develops very slowly, so if you notice unpleasant changes in the nails in time and consult a doctor, you can quickly get rid of the fungus, especially if the clinic has modern treatment methods. Doctors at TN-Clinic use the entire arsenal of the most effective modern medications and techniques to treat nail fungus.

How to prepare for the procedure and recommendations after the procedure

To get rid of onychomycosis, you should follow the recommendations before and after the procedure.

Treatment of nail fungus is carried out by a dermatovenerologist (mycologist). When you visit your doctor for the first time, it is better to bring the test results - a scraping for fungi. Based on the analysis and upon examination of the area affected by the fungus, the doctor determines the duration and intensity of treatment.

If the nail plate is thick, then you can do a medical pedicure so that the beam penetrates better into the depths of the nail.
During preparation for treatment, it is advisable to refrain from taking any honey. drugs.
Under no circumstances should you apply varnish to affected nail plates.
Most likely, your doctor will advise you to remove the dead part of the nail (if any). In this case, the area of the bare nail bed will need to be treated several times with special disinfectants.
After recovery, you need to especially carefully observe the rules of hygiene and stop using varnishes (including gel polish) for a certain period.
Also, after the procedure, you should refrain from visiting the bathhouse or sauna. The recommended period of restriction will be determined by the doctor on the day of the procedure.

Treatment of nail fungus

There is a common misconception among patients that nail fungus requires long-term treatment. Many people think that this disease must be fought for years, that it cannot be completely cured. This was the case some time ago, but today medicine has not only modern highly effective drugs, but also hardware techniques that make it possible to effectively treat nail fungus in a short time, and with comfort (of course, if we are talking about extremely advanced cases, therapy requires serious efforts from both the doctor and the patient). Among the modern methods that are currently widely used in the treatment of nail fungus, first of all it is necessary to highlight the treatment of nail fungus with a laser - laser therapy. Drug treatment of onychomycosis involves the use of special medications internally and externally—antimycotics. Local use of these drugs, that is, applied directly to the affected nails, is effective only at the initial stage of the disease (in the case of a superficial process); more serious cases require oral medication. Taking into account the fact that they need to be taken for a long time and must be under the supervision of a doctor, since the drugs are quite toxic. Plus, the drugs are contraindicated for certain categories of patients (pregnant women, patients with chronic kidney and liver diseases, children). That is why non-drug methods for treating fungus are important.

Advantages of laser treatment for onychomycosis:

the procedure takes no more than 30 minutes;
no blood pressure control required;
laser exposure does not cause pain;
the laser beam penetrates into the deep layers of the skin and destroys all infected cells;
laser treatment is not dangerous for allergy sufferers;
The laser is effective against all types of fungus.
However, laser removal is not for everyone. This method should be avoided by pregnant women, people with diabetes, cancer or severe chronic diseases.

Treatment of nail fungus with laser at TN-Clinic

Laser therapy has already proven highly effective in treating nail fungus. The procedure has virtually no contraindications, since there is no toxic effect on the body. The technique is safe for the patient, since at the TN-Clinic it is performed by highly qualified doctors with special training. The essence of the effect comes down to heating the nail plate and nail bed with a laser to a depth of 5-7 mm to 40°C. In the process, pathogenic fungi are completely destroyed. It is important that during the procedure for treating nail fungus with a laser, no anesthesia is required, since the patient may only feel a slight tingling or burning sensation in the area of treatment, nothing more. But, for example, before applying some medications, it is necessary to grind down or completely remove the nail plate, which is associated with severe pain and negative emotions in the patient. Cure with the regrowth of a healthy nail plate can be achieved after just a few laser therapy sessions. Everything here is individual, the number of sessions and their frequency are determined by the doctor, depending on the depth of the nail fungus. An additional and very important advantage of treating nail fungus with a laser (laser therapy) is its effectiveness even if it is impossible to determine the species of the fungus - for example, if the infection supposedly occurred in one of the tropical countries, and there is no experience of traditional drug treatment. At TN-Clinic, such patients were treated for nail fungus using a laser, which turned out to be effective. Modern approaches to the treatment of nail fungus make it possible to change patients’ ideas about this disease and successfully get rid of it, and timely contact with a specialist in the early stages of the manifestation of fungus will avoid many unpleasant moments.

About the procedure

The Cutera neodymium laser with Laser Genesis attachment has a wavelength of 1064 nm. In its rays, the temperature of damaged tissues temporarily rises to moderate values, which leads to the destruction of not only the fungus itself, but also the mycelium, due to which a complete cure is achieved, and the likelihood of relapses is minimal.

Rehabilitation after laser treatment of fungus is not required, swelling and redness are also absent. To achieve maximum effect, a course consisting of 4-6 procedures is required. The duration of the procedure and the exact number of irradiations are calculated by our doctor during a preliminary consultation, based on the degree of tissue damage.

Efficiency of the method

Laser therapy for nail fungus is an effective method of combating the disease, which has a number of undoubted advantages:

simplicity of the procedure;
efficiency and safety;
short treatment period;
keeping surrounding tissues healthy;
complete painlessness;
lasting results;
no side effects;
no need for rehabilitation.

The cost of the procedure is completely affordable for patients; there are many clinics where you can sign up for laser treatment.

Neodymium

To treat toenail fungus with a laser, doctors often use a neodymium unit. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of therapy reaches 85%.

A device with a wavelength of 1535 nm acts on the fungus in a thermal way and destroys it. The temperature is set depending on the type of mycosis. Already at 45 °C it is possible to completely destroy harmful microorganisms.

The neodymium laser provides a comprehensive approach to therapy. It has an antibacterial and restorative effect. But during the session, severe discomfort is felt.

Signs of fungal nail infections:

Loss of healthy shine of the nail.
Discoloration - the nail becomes yellow-brown in color.
Detachment or thickening of the nail plate.
The accumulation of horny masses under the nail is subungual hyperkeratosis.

Traditional methods of treating fungal nail infections consist of systemic drug therapy and external effects. Such a complex effect has been tested for years, but such treatment is very long-lasting, and in addition, it is, of course, very toxic.

Laser therapy for onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes is a new word in medicine. Practice has shown that laser technologies are no less effective than traditional therapy (effective in 90% of cases).

Erbium laser

Today, the erbium ER:YAG laser is recognized as the most effective for resurfacing and fractional rejuvenation, as well as for the treatment of scars and stretch marks.

Erbium laser is an ablative laser. Ablation is a complex physical effect; during ablation, a laser beam evaporates the surface of the skin layer by layer, this leads to minimal tissue burns and coagulation of blood vessels. A special laser treatment for effective and safe treatment of scars is called laser resurfacing. It should be noted that the erbium laser allows you to work with the skin very finely. Erbium grinding is also called “cold” (although the temperature during exposure reaches 300 degrees C). Compared to a CO2 laser, the duration of the rehabilitation period after resurfacing with an erbium laser is reduced by exactly half.