Laser Toenail House Calls
Call NOW!  415-308-0833
  • Pricing on Laser Treatment
  • Welcome!
  • How Many Treatments ?
  • What is Toenail Fungus?
  • What is the Best Toenail Fungus Treatment?
  • Laser Treatment at Home
  • Testimonials
  • How to Prevent Toenail Fungus
  • FAQ about Laser Treatment for Toenail Fungus
  • Free Toenail Fungus Consultation
  • Laser Nail Blog

Can I use a laser pointer to treat my toenail fungus?

4/25/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
I recently had a doctor as a fungal toenail patient who asked me this question. He wasn’t a podiatrist, so infected toenails are not his specialty. 

The question is an interesting one and speaks to the conception that many people have about lasers. Many think that a laser is a laser.

All lasers are not the same. 

Some lasers cut steel, others kill toenail fungus and some only highlight presentations. 

Laser pointers are not medical lasers and cannot treat toenail fungus. 

Here is why:

The medical laser we use to treat kill toenail fungus is 1064nm wavelength YAG laser. This is the wavelength that has been shown in clinical trials to remove the toenail fungus that infects the toenail plate causing a toenail infection (known as onychomycosis). 

Laser pointers are all a much shorter wavelength than the toenail laser:
       Red laser pointers are 635nm wavelength
       Green laser pointers are 532nm wavelength
       Blue laser pointers are 445nm wavelength 

All three varieties of laser pointers are within the visible light spectrum  (380 nm – 700 nm).  A medical laser used to remove toenail fungus and treat a fungal toenail infection is an infrared laser (1064nm) and the light energy from it behaves much differently. 

The nail fungus treatment laser beam has the ability to directly damage components of the toenail fungus cell membranes and kill the fungus. Laser pointers that are used to highlight a powerpoint presentation simply can’t remove the toenail fungus from the infected toenail. 

Dr. Christopher Segler is a San Francisco based podiatrist and is board certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine.  He sees patients all over the Bay Area in order to help them treat their toenail fungal infections with one of the newest lasers available. We offer house calls all to treat toenail fungus in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Palo Alto, and San Jose. If you have a question about toenail fungus and wonder whether or not the laser fungus removal treatment will cure your thick, yellow, toenail that has a fungus infection, you can call and speak directly with a toenail expert by calling 415-308-0833.  And yes, you will actually get to speak with the doctor.





2 Comments

Is the toenail fungus removal laser an "Infrared Laser?"

4/22/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Question: Is the the laser your doctor uses to remove toenail fungus an infrared laser?
 
The laser used by San Francisco laser toenail housecalls is one of the newest medical lasers on the market.  In fact it has is only been on the market for less than a year, at the time of this writing.  Like most technologies, there are continual improvements with equipment and techniques. This newer laser is much more compact than older models allowing us to bring it on house calls.

The laser that we bring to your home or office in order to remove the toenail fungus and treat your toenail fungal infection is a  multifunctional medical diode laser system.  The laser is capable of  radiating light in a number of wavelengths including 810 nm, 980 nm, and 1064 nm.

The 1064 nm wavelength is the wavelength that is currently considered to be the most effective at treating onychomcosis (fungal toenail infection)1,2.  We use the new German-made A.R.C. Laser Medical Diode Laser System. 

When we bring the A.R.C. Laser to your home or office the podiatrist will program the laser system to produce a laser beam in the 1064 nm wavelength.

The light spectrum can be divided by wavelength as follows:
Gamma ray: less than 0.01 nm
X-ray: 0.01 nm to 10 nm
Ultraviolet: 10 nm – 380 nm
Visible light: 380 nm – 700 nm
Infrared: 700 nm – 1 mm
Microwave: 1 mm – 1 meter
Radio: 1 mm – 100,000 km

The medical laser system we use to treat toenail fungus is 1064nm. Since 1064nm is greater than 700 nm and less than 1 mm, this means that the laser beam is categorized as an “infrared” beam of light energy.

The laser beam itself is invisible. When the treatment is being performed, you will see a small spot of light moving back and forth across the toenail. The light you see is not actually the laser. The light you see is simply an aiming light.  Because the laser beam itself is invisible it’s necessary to have an aiming light that allows the doctor properly direct the laser beam in order to kill the fungus that’s within the toenail.

The laser can kill the fungus. But the laser can also damage your eyes.  looking directly into the laser beam or from light reflected by the medical laser beam system could cause serious eye injury. 

Even though the laser is invisible (unlike a laser pointer)  you have to protect your eyes from damage. Both you (the toenail fungus patient) and the doctor performing the laser toenail fungus removal procedure will wear protective eyewear that will shield you from any possible harm. The doctor will bring and supply a pair of specially constructed glasses that protect your eyes during the laser toenail fungus treatment. 

The protective glasses simply look much like green tinted sunglasses.  You can still see just fine with the glasses on. Because the procedure takes about 20 minutes or so, most patients will work on a laptop computer or an iPad while they are having the laser toenail fungus removal procedure. The laser protection eyeglasses not interfere with these activities at all.

Dr. Christopher Segler is board certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine.  He believes that the best medicine is fast, convenient and low-cost.  He sees patients all over the Bay Area in order to help them treat their toenail fungal infections with one of the newest lasers available. 

We offer house calls all over the San Francisco area, including the Marina, Castro, Sunset, Richmond district, Cow Hollow, Presidio, Seacliff, Downtown, Nob Hill, Russian, and the Financial district. We will even see you at home in Mill Valley, San Rafael, San Bruno, Oakland or Berkeley.

If you have a question about toenail fungus and wonder whether or not the laser fungus removal treatment might be right for you, you can call and speak directly with a toenail expert by calling 
415-308-0833.  And yes, you will actually get to speak with the doctor.


References:
1. Mozena, John; Haverstock, Brent (May 2010). "Laser care for onychomycosis: can it be effective?". Podiatry Today 23 (5): 54–59.
2. Mozena, John D.; Mitnick, Joshua P. (October 2009). "Emerging concepts in treating onychomycosis". Podiatry Today 22 (10): 46–51.


0 Comments

What is "white superficial onychomycosis"?

4/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Many medical terms seem unnecessarily long and complicated.  him and toenail fungus is no different. “White superficial onychomycosis”  is a purely descriptive term.  “White” of course refers to the color. “Superficial” implies that the fungal infection is only really affecting the surface of the toenail. “Onychomycosis” means fungal infection of the nail. 

When you put all of this together of course what it tells you or the doctor is that there is a fungal infection involving the toenail that is causing the toenail to become white and discolored and is only on the surface of the nail plate.

In general these superficial toenail infections do not penetrate the toenail itself.  The toenail will look like it has some white spots or speckled appearance. It sort of looks like there are powder sugar in splotches on the toenail. This particular form of a toenail infection can be related to applications of nail varnish or toenail polish base coats. 

Although this is not the most common form of toenail fungal infections, it can be easier to treat. The reason that it might be easier to cure is that the infective organisms are closer to the surface and not underneath the nail plate where they can be harder to reach.

Because the fungus is actually growing on the surface of the nail plate it is also easier for your podiatrist to take a sample of the fungus and evaluate it.  It may also respond to topical treatment more readily than a fungus that bores all the way through the nail plate down to the nail bed. The laser treatment is also effective for this type of toenail fungus infection.

Dr. Christopher Segler, DPM is board certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine.  He believes that the best medicine can be fast, convenient and low-cost treatment. His innovative housecall podiatry practice model helps to keep costs down for patient with making expert care more convenient than ever.  

If you have a tight work schedule we can even see you in your own office.  We often do house calls for executives so that they can be seen between meetings.  When there is no time to waste, a house call is definitely the best treatment and just what the doctor ordered!  

We offer house calls all over the San Francisco area, including the Marina, Castro, the Sunset, Richmond district, North Beach, Presidio, Seacliff, Downtown, Nob Hill, Russian, and the Financial district. We will even see you at home in Mill Valley, San Rafael, San Bruno, Oakland or Berkeley.

If you have a question about toenail fungus and wonder whether or not the laser fungus removal treatment might be right for you, you can call and speak directly with a toenail expert by calling  415-308-0833.  And yes, you will actually get to speak with the doctor.


0 Comments

Does the appearance of my fungal toenail change during the laser procedure?

4/3/2013

0 Comments

 
The laser toenail fungus removal procedure kills the fungus on contact by directly damaging components of the fungal cell membranes. But the appearance of the toenail is not related to whether the fungus is living or dead. The funky appearance of a fungal toenail is more related to the damage the toenail fungus causes to the keratin in the toenail.  

The ugly thick, yellow appearance of fungal toenails is actually related to the separation of the keratin into distinct layers. The toe fungus grows within the toenail and separates the toenail plate, causing the toenail to become friable and crumble. 
When the toenail keratin separates, light refracts unevenly through the toenail. The result is that the toenail appears yellow, white of otherwise discolored.  

The actual appearance of the fungal toenail will not change during the laser procedure. The laser will kill toenail fungus on contact during the laser treatment. But you will have to wait for the dead fungus and newly treated toenail to grow out.  

This is when the clear, healthy-appearing toenail will start to change. It takes about 8 months to one year for a new toenail to grow all the way out. So if your toenail is 50% yellow, it will likely take about 4-6months for you to regrow the toenail.  

As the the toenail grows out, you of course will be trimming the funky, crusty, discolored toenail. As you trim the toenail, you will slowly see the clear healthy nail returning.  

If you have ugly fungal toenails and would like to have clear healthy toenails again, you can arrange to have the laser toenail procedure in the privacy of your own home or office. That's right...we do podiatry house calls in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Houston. Dr. Christopher Segler, D.P.M. is Board Certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine. If you would like to ask a question about laser toenail fungus removal, or schedule your laser toenail house call, you can reach him directly at 415-308-0833. 
0 Comments

    Dr. Chris Segler

    Podiatrist, author, inventor, nationally recognized expert, lecturer and teacher,         award-winning researcher specializing in combining the latest technologies and advanced treatments with the old-fashioned convenience of house calls.

    Archives

    February 2017
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    December 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All
    1064
    Artificial Nails
    Atherton
    Athlete's Foot
    Barefoot
    Berkeley
    Black Toenail
    Broken Foot
    Broken Toe
    Bruise
    Bruised
    Bruising
    Cause
    Discoloration
    Discount
    Dr. Christopher Segler
    Fake Nails
    Foot Fracture
    Fungal
    Fungal Spores
    Fungal Toenail
    Fungus
    Fungus Removal
    How
    How Can I Tell If My Foot Is Broken?
    Infection
    Infrared
    Laser
    Laser Removal
    Laser Toenail
    Laser Treatment
    Marin
    Menlo Park
    Mill Valley
    Oakland
    Palo Alto
    Pedicure
    Permanent
    Podiatrist
    Podiatry
    Reinfection
    Removal
    Running
    Running Shoes
    San Francisco
    San Jose
    San Mateo
    San Rafael
    Silicon Valley
    Spore
    Thick
    Toe Fungus
    Toenail
    Toenail Fungus
    Toenial
    Treatment
    White
    Yellow

    RSS Feed

Laser Toenail House Calls 
San Francisco, Marin and East Bay
236 W Portal Ave #332
San Francisco, CA 94127

415-308-0833

Read our reviews on Yelp!

Laser Toenail House Calls: The fastest way to treat fungal toenails in San Francisco, East Bay and Marin. 
Copyright 2012-2020, all rights reserved.