Most women with bad toenails are hiding a little secret, a fungal nail infection that has caused one or more nails to turn an ugly purple color.
The fact that the disease is so easy to catch but so hard to cure shows how one in ten of us will suffer at some point, while up to one million people are infected nails at a time. Fungal spores thrive in warm, humid conditions, such as in swimming pools or in our shoes.
Treatment can take up to a year and is ineffective or has serious side effects. But now there is a laser treatment that claims to restore ugly nails to pearly pink health in a matter of seconds.
40 percent of patients have fungal nail infections and many have not received effective treatment. Most of us have seen that spraying hair with lotion is a waste of time. There are antifungal medications that can be taken by mouth, but you can take them for up to a year. These drugs also have side effects, such as stomach pain and nausea. In rare cases, it can cause jaundice, heart disease, or even liver failure.
Are lasers a real breakthrough? They are safe and have no side effects, they work by applying intense heat to vaporize the mushrooms. With a processing time of less than half an hour, they seem to be the perfect solution at a price of around £800. You can expect perfect results, but new lasers have some drawbacks.
If the disease progresses to the bottom of the toe, the fungus can get under the skin where the laser cannot reach it. This treatment is still new and I would like to see more independent research. If you have a mild fungal infection that seems to be affecting one toenail, it is best to treat all of your toenails as this will kill any hidden fungus that may be lurking on your toenails. The laser used is a small device; it burns a small fire on the nail that destroys the fungus.
Related: Fungal nail treatment