If you've been frustrated and embarrassed by ugly, yellowed, bumpy, cracked and brittle toenails or fingernails, you're not alone. Millions of people suffer from onychomycosis, the medical term for the fungus that aggressively invades the nails, making you miserable and your nails unsightly.
While nail fungus can be an unpleasant cosmetic problem—who wants to wear sandals or go barefoot when your nails are a persistent eyesore?—it can also be a medical issue. Even in healthy individuals, nail fungus can progress to the point where it's painful and chronic. But for people with illnesses such as diabetes, nail fungus can lead to serious health consequences.
Unfortunately, getting rid of nail fungus has been extremely difficult and sometimes nearly impossible. That's because it is a chronic infectious disease that can and does recur.
Every time you put on shoes that contain microscopic pathogens or when you walk anywhere that onychomycosis is found—swimming pools, carpets, lawns, showers and other damp, wet places, you're at risk for re-infection.
But that's not the only reason nail fungus keeps recurring. Until recently, most treatments were either ineffective or potentially harmful.
Current treatments such as topical creams attack the surface of the nail, but they don't reach down underneath where conditions are ideal for fungal growth. Oral medications may be more effective, but the consequences of treatment can be high—potential side effects include damage to the liver.
ClearNailz offers a breakthrough treatment for nail fungus with advanced laser technology—the Noveon NailLaser. This effective treatment method is fast becoming the treatment of choice for nail fungus.
"We have always wished there was a magic bullet to clear nail fungus, and now this new technology is the closest we've come to it," say Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Robbins. "It is satisfying to offer these potentially life-changing new methods of therapy to our patients."
The Noveon NailLaser offers patients a targeted treatment option. Because not all nail fungus is the same, and can be caused by more than one microscopic pathogen, it is important to attack this condition on several fronts. That's why ClearNailz offers a laser capable of different wavelengths. The Noveon NailLaser is able to treat fungal nails using two separate wavelengths, providing a greater opportunity for successfully clearing nail fungus. Patients receive a customized treatment plan best suited to their individual needs.
What is Nail Fungus? What are the symptoms? How did I get it? Can nail fungus be cured? Find out the answers to these questions and more.
Dr. Alan Robbins is originally from New York and earned his doctor of podiatric medicine at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.