fungal nail – Anderson Podiatry Center

No More Icky Fungal Nails! Consider Laser Toenail Treatment

Posted on February 10, 2022July 1, 2025 by admin

Toenail fungus is one of the most common foot complaints. For many it can be very embarrassing with yellow discoloration of the nails. The nails may also become thickened, crumbly and even painful and difficult to trim. At Anderson Podiatry center we have the most experience as we were the first to bring laser fungal nail treatment to the Rocky Mountain area.

Other treatment options may include.

Topicals

If you’ve tried these chances are you were very frustrated. Most patients, we treat have had multiple attempts using topicals for nail infection treatment with little or no success

Oral antifungals

Another option is the use of the oral medication Lamisil. However, it has liver toxicity so many patients are reluctant to use it and we seldom recommend it for this reason.

Laser nail treatment

This laser nail treatment is the option most of our patients prefer. Lasers destroy the toenail infection because it’s able to penetrate the nail bed where topicals just can’t penetrate. The heat created by the laser is what destroys the infection. The laser light pulses rapidly so there is little to no pain and no side effects. You can return to regular activities immediately.

Is laser toenail treatment effective? Here are some studies to back up its effectiveness.

Studies to back up high cure rates.

The following clinical studies show support and toenail laser treatments are approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration. Here are some clinical trials /studies to show laser nail fungus treatment is effective.

A 2016 study by the FDA found that patients who received laser treatment displayed clear nails at three months and six months after treatment.
A 2019 study published in the journal American Family Physician by the American Association of Family Physicians found that after 180 days of toenail laser treatment, patients had a 30% cure rate and a 91% improvement in symptoms. This study also concluded that laser treatment is more effective for the treatment of toenail fungus than both over-the-counter and prescription topical and oral antifungal medications.
In 2018, the journal Lasers in Medical Science published a study about the success rate of laser nail treatment. These researchers reported a success rate of 83.7% among the patient population, who had infections that affected at least two-thirds of the nail.

So how does laser therapy work?

The laser nail treatment is painless although you may feel some warmth as the treatment is performed and if you do the technician will simply move the laser to another area of the nail. Also, if the nail is thickened it will be ground down, so it is much thinner allowing the laser to penetrate better. Thinning the nail is painless and patients appreciate the improved appearance after it is done. Many will start to see clearing of the nail which usually starts at the base as soon as 4-5 months. At 9 months you can expect to have maximum effect from a treatment as this is how long it takes for a nail to grow. The number of treatments that are needed can vary and your doctor will help you determine this.

Why choose Anderson Podiatry Center for laser toenail treatment?

We were the originators of this treatment option in the Rocky Mountain area. I think you’ll discover that our staff is well trained and yes, they are passionate about improving the looks of your nails. Please consider this option to maximize the chances of eliminating your icky toenails. We have two convenient locations when looking for ‘nail laser treatment near me’. Watch our patient testimonials and information videos on laser nail fungus treatment on youtube.

View Patient Testimonial

Laser Nail Treatment Device by PinPointe

Get Rid of Embarrassing Nail Fungus with a One-Two Punch Treatment exclusive to Anderson Podiatry Center!

Posted on May 16, 2019July 1, 2025 by admin

What Is Nail Fungus?

As a podiatrist, I have heard nail fungus described in many different ways, and none of them are nice: Gross, icky, thick, brittle, deformed, disfigured, discolored nails are one of the most common foot issues that we see.

In most cases, it is caused by a fungal infection of the nails. Studies have estimated that up to 20-25% of people are affected by fungal nail infections ailment, and up to 35% of diabetics.

Fortunately, in most cases this infection doesn’t cause any other health issues, and remains confined to the toes and even fingernails.

For those that have this infection, the main complaint is cosmetic (most likely due to an ingrown toenail). In some cases, however, the infected nails can lead to chronic pain due to nail thickening, or even chronic ingrown nails.

Do Home Remedies Work?

Over the years, there have been many treatments attempted for this with most of them having rather dismal results. There are more over-the-counter topical treatments for this then I care to count. There’s even more “home remedies.” Unfortunately, these types of treatments rarely help. We don’t see much improvement in appearance, and they don’t cure the infection.

Over-the-counter medication for the treatment of athlete’s foot has also been shown to have little effect.

Treating this infection with oral anti-fungal medication has been shown to have better results than with topical treatments. But, overall, the cure rates with this medication have been disappointing.

A One-Two Punch Treatment That Works!

At Anderson Podiatry Center we treat toenail (and fingernail!) fungus with two very effective treatments that, when combined, very often produce results that patients are extremely happy with:

Laser Treatment A recent advancement in nail fungus treatment is laser therapy. We have been treating nail fungus with the PinPointe laser system for many years and have been very pleased with the results! It is the only laser that is specifically designed to treat nail fungus, vs other multi-use lasers, so it is often extremely effective. It involves direct laser therapy to the nails and directs heat underneath the nail (where the fungus lives) to a temperature that destroys the fungus, but does not burn or harm your toe.For most people, this procedure takes 3-4 treatments, which are spaced out every three months or so. It can take up to a year to fully grow out the infected nail and replace it with healthy nail.
Excusive Topical Treatment We also now use a newly developed, prescription-grade topical treatment that is showing via studies to likely be the most effective topical treatment for fungal nails available. When combined with the laser, we see excellent results.It quickly reduces the yellow discoloration, thickness and brittleness of the nail, so it looks much better while the nail is growing out. Patients love it!

A Final Step

We even add a third (recommended) step: using an anti-fungal nail polish that helps prevent the nail fungus from returning. We want our patients to have clear nails that last.

Don’t Wear Socks To The Beach

So, if you are currently wearing socks to the beach or keeping your hands in your pockets because you are embarrassed by your nails, this treatment is for you. It’s time to ditch the socks and let your little piggy’s and your hands out to play again.

We know nail fungus is embarrassing and frustrating, but the only way to get rid of it is to seek appropriate, effective treatment. With our one-two punch, clear nails can quickly be yours!

Please don’t wait any longer to schedule an appointment. Come visit your podiatrist in Fort Collins or Broomfield for further consultation.

Call us today, and mention this blog for a free phone consult*.

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To learn more about how we treat nail fungus, click here.

*Free consult: Complete new patient appointment and exam not included.

Get Rid of Embarrassing Toenails

Posted on May 8, 2018 by admin

What Is Toenail Fungus?

As a podiatrist, I have heard toenail fungus described in many different ways, and none of them are nice. Gross, icky, thick, brittle, deformed, disfigured, discolored nails are one of the most common foot issues that we see. In most cases, this is caused by a fungal infection of the toenails. Studies have estimated that up to 20-25% of the general population is affected by this ailment, and possibly up to 35% of diabetics.

Fortunately, in most cases this infection doesn’t cause any other health issues, and remains confined to the toes. For those that have this infection, the main complaint is cosmetic. In some cases, however, the infected nails can lead to chronic pain due to nail thickening, or even chronic ingrown nails.

Do Home Remedies Work?

Over-the-counter medication for the treatment of athlete’s foot has also been shown to have little effect. Treating this infection with oral anti-fungal medication has been shown to have better results than with topical treatments. But, overall, the cure rates with this medication have been disappointing.

The Treatment That Works

A more recent advancement in treatment is laser therapy. We have been treating the nail with the PinPointe laser system for many years and have been very pleased with the results! This treatment involves direct laser therapy to the nails. It directs heat underneath the nail to a temperature that kills the infection but does not burn or harm your toe.

For most people, this procedure takes 3 to 4 treatments spaced out every three months or so. However, it can take up to a year to fully grow out the infected nail and replace it with a healthy nail.

We also use a prescription-grade topical treatment shown via studies to be the most effective topical treatment available. When combined with the laser, we see excellent results. It quickly reduces the yellow discoloration, thickness, and brittleness of the nail, so it looks better while the nail is growing out. Patients love it!

The final step is using an anti-fungal nail polish that helps prevent it from returning. We want our patients to have clear nails that last.

Don’t Wear Socks To The Beach

So, if you are currently wearing socks to the beach because you are embarrassed by your toenails, this treatment is for you. It’s time to ditch the socks and let your little piggies out to play again.

We know toenail infections can be embarrassing and frustrating, but the only way to get rid of it is to seek the appropriate treatment.

Please don’t wait any longer to schedule an appointment, and discover your treatment plan to get healthy toenails.

Call us today, and mention this blog for a free phone or office consult.

————————————————————————————————–

To learn more about how we treat nail fungus, click here.

To make an appointment, click here.

*Free office consult: Complete new patient appointment and exam not included.

The Truth About Frustrating Toenail Fungus

Posted on November 15, 2016July 1, 2025 by admin

During my time in this practice I have heard toenail fungus described in many different ways, and none of them are nice. Gross, icky, thick, brittle, deformed, disfigured, discolored nails are one of the most common foot issues that we see. In most cases this is caused by a fungal infection of the toenails. Studies have estimated that up to 20-25% of the general population is affected by this ailment, and possibly up to 35% of diabetics.

Fortunately, in most cases this infection doesn’t cause any other health issues, and remains confined to the toes. For those that have this infection the main complaint is cosmetic. In some cases, however, the infected nails can lead to chronic pain due to nail thickening, or even chronic ingrown nails.

Over the years there have been many treatments attempted for this with most of them having rather dismal results. There are more over the counter topical treatments for this then I care to count, and even more “home remedies.” Unfortunately, these types of treatments rarely lead to much improvement in appearance, and even more rarely cure the infection.

Over the counter medication for the treatment of athlete’s foot has also been shown to have little effect. Treating this infection with oral antifungal medication has been shown to have better results than with topicals, but overall the cure rates with this medication have been disappointing.

A more recent advancement in treatment has been with laser therapy. We have been treating nail fungus with the PinPoint laser system for six years and have been very pleased with the results! This treatment involves direct laser therapy of the nails, which heats underneath the nail to a temperature that kills the fungus but does not burn or harm your toe.

For most people this procedure involves 3-4 treatments which are spaced out every three months or so. However, the toenails take up to a year to fully grow out the infected nail and replace it with healthy nail. The treatment also involves regular use of topical anti-fungals to keep your skin as free from infection as possible.

So, if you are currently wearing socks to the beach because you are embarrassed by your toenails, this treatment might be for you. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or to schedule an appointment to have your nails evaluated. By this time next year, you may be able to ditch the socks and let your little piggies out to play again.

How to Get Rid of Ugly Toenails?

Posted on June 21, 2016July 1, 2025 by admin

Toenail fungus is a frustrating and embarrassing condition. It’s made even more difficult by the fact that there aren’t many long-lasting treatment options available. At Anderson Podiatry Center, however, we offer hope with our Laser Nail Treatment. We have a lot of experience treating fungal nails as we were the first in the Rocky Mountain area to introduce the laser nail concept in 2008. We feel we have refined our treatments to maximize the potential improvement this technology can offer.

Fungal nails (onychomycosis) have commonly been described by our patients as an “icky” condition. It can be painful, make nails difficult to trim, and many times embarrassing. Other treatment options can include topical, which you apply directly to the nail. This treatment, however, has a very low success rate. Oral medication called Lamisil can also be used. It can have a toxic effect on the liver, but I would consider it the second most successful option. It can be used in select situations, sometimes in combination with laser, but we discuss this on a case-by-case basis.

Finally, the laser option I feel gives you the best opportunity to help with your fungal nails. The laser we use is a Pinpointe Laser and was designed exclusively for the treatment of this kind of condition. The original research showed that in 88 percent of patients, it was effective in improving their nails. From our experience, we have found this to be true.

The laser treatment is safe and pain-free. It works on the simple concept of creating a tremendous amount of heat in the nail. The heat is what kills the fungus. The laser light pulses so quickly into the nail that patients rarely experience the sensation of heat in the nail.

So, please consider these options for your fungal nail. Because of our vast experience combined with this excellent technology, we can offer you the best chance of helping you with your nail concerns. We can give you the best chance of not being embarrassed to show your ugly toenails or constantly having to hide them with polish.