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.
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.
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