We have the answer—to ensure you can wave your fungal nails goodbye and step out in summer shoes with confidence.
Capital Podiatry pioneered fungal laser therapy in Canberra and since then we've treated hundreds of patients.
Our survey of our patients shows that we cure about 80 per cent of fungal nails. This matches the results reported world wide by the company that manufactures our laser equipment.
What is nail fungus?
Nail fungus is a common condition that can affect both toenails and finger nails. However, the majority of the time nail fungus tends to grow in toenails.
Fungi are microscopic organisms that survive well in dark, warm, moist places like shower, swimming pools, shoes and work boots.
Nail fungus infections usually start as a white or yellow spot on your nail. As the nail infection progresses, your nail can turn yellow or brown, become thick and chalky and become brittle. In severe cases, your nail can lift away from your nail bed—very painful.
Who gets nail fungus?
Anyone can pick up a nail infection, but some people are at greater risk.
- older people because they have less blood flow to their extremitities and also because they have slower-growing nails
- athletes and outdoor workers—if they sweat heavily their socks can create the perfect moist environment for fungus
- men—for some reason men seem to be afflicted by fungal nails more often than women
- weakened immune system—it's a little like getting a cold, if you're run down you're more likely to pick up infections
- poor circulation—if you have poor blood circulation to your feet and hands, you're more likely to get a nail infection.
And to top it all off, toes usually have less blood flow, which decreases your immune system' ability to detect and stop infections.
Treatment
The golden rule is to start treatment as soon as you see any signs of a fungal infection.
It's much easier to treat if you start early.
We slowly trace a laser beam across the infected nail for serveral minutes. We cover the entire nai in a close cross-hatch pattern.
The laser beam generates heat in the nail and in the fungal colony. Your nail will feeel warm but this feeling quickly fades.
We use a formula to work out how long we need to spend on each nail. The formula is based on the sze of your nail and the progress of your infection.
The procedure is safe and you won't need anaesthetics.
It's free of any side effects and harmless to your nail and the surrounding skin.
You can wear your shoes and socks immediately after the procedure.
