No. Although you can get a nail fungus infection after you bump or bruise the toenail, it is not a good idea to treat a black and blue toenail with the laser fungal removal treatment. The black and blue discoloration of the toenail is really just a collection of dried blood under the nail plate caused by a bruised nail bed under the toenail.
The problem is that the laser is simply very highly focuses light energy concentrated into a powerful device; powerful enough that the laser can vaporize fungus on contact.
There is an experiment that children are often taught in elementary school about light energy and surfaces that absorb or reflect energy. Two kids each take a magnifying glass and focus sunlight into a pinpoint spot on a sheet of paper. One kid has white paper. One kid has black paper. Another kid starts a timer to see how long it takes for the concentrated beam of sunlight to generate enough heat to burn the paper.
The black paper always absorbs more light energy than the white paper. So the black paper starts to smoke and then catch on fire much sooner that the white paper.
When you focus a toenail laser on a black or blue bruised area of a toenail, the laser light energy can quickly heat up causing a burn of the nail bed, or even a blister under the toenail. For this reason, you would not want to treat the black and blue areas of the toenail with the laser. You should however monitor for any sign of yellowing after the bruise in the toenail is resolved.
Dr. Christopher Segler is an award-winning podiatrist who is Board Certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine. He makes podiatry house calls in San Francisco, Mill Valley, Oakland, Berkeley, Hillsborough, and Woodside. If you have a question about a toenail infection, you can reach him directly at 415-308-0833.
The problem is that the laser is simply very highly focuses light energy concentrated into a powerful device; powerful enough that the laser can vaporize fungus on contact.
There is an experiment that children are often taught in elementary school about light energy and surfaces that absorb or reflect energy. Two kids each take a magnifying glass and focus sunlight into a pinpoint spot on a sheet of paper. One kid has white paper. One kid has black paper. Another kid starts a timer to see how long it takes for the concentrated beam of sunlight to generate enough heat to burn the paper.
The black paper always absorbs more light energy than the white paper. So the black paper starts to smoke and then catch on fire much sooner that the white paper.
When you focus a toenail laser on a black or blue bruised area of a toenail, the laser light energy can quickly heat up causing a burn of the nail bed, or even a blister under the toenail. For this reason, you would not want to treat the black and blue areas of the toenail with the laser. You should however monitor for any sign of yellowing after the bruise in the toenail is resolved.
Dr. Christopher Segler is an award-winning podiatrist who is Board Certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine. He makes podiatry house calls in San Francisco, Mill Valley, Oakland, Berkeley, Hillsborough, and Woodside. If you have a question about a toenail infection, you can reach him directly at 415-308-0833.
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