Also known as onychomycosis (on-ih-koh-my-KOH-sis), fungal toenails can be uncomfortable, thickened, misshaped, discoloured, crumbly and smelly. Onychomycosis can be a source of embarrassment and insecurity and can even lead to skin breakdown due to excess pressure on the nail bed. Fungal toenails can spread from one person to another or from one toenail to another.
Toenail fungus is evident in the toenail itself, but the infection actually resides underneath the nail, in what is called, the nail bed. The nail matrix or cells from which the nail grows is the part of the toenail that becomes infected with fungus. If toenails are injured or if a person’s immune system is not working as well as it should, there is a greater risk for a fungal infection developing.
Fungal toenails & important things to remember
Fungal toenails are infamously hard to eradicate. The challenge with treatment is penetration of the medication. A topical treatment applied to the nail plate must penetrate through the plate down to the nail bed where the fungus lives. The thinner the nail plate, the better a topical treatment will work. BioPed’s Footcare Nurses and Registered Chiropodists focus on significantly reducing the thickness of the nail plate during a footcare treatment.
It is recommended to know if your thick and discoloured toenails are in fact caused by a fungus. Not all thick and discoloured toenails are fungal and not all fungal toenails are thick and discoloured! BioPed Medical Footcare Clinicians can work with your Primary Care Provider to help determine the answer.
Fungal toenails can be treated with topical medications applied directly to the nail and/or oral medications, which are prescribed by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. These oral medications are quite powerful and can have undesirable side effects and interactions with other medications.
One of the most effective treatments will soon be offered at many BioPed Footcare clinics!
Photodynamic light therapy (PDT) is a highly effective treatment option for fungal toenail infections. It is very different than laser treatment. At BioPed, we use the ClearToe Therapy Light specifically, which is the only laser-free class 2 photodisinfection device approved by Health Canada for the clearance of fungal nail infection. ToeFx’s proprietary non-toxic Clear Toe Serum is placed on the toenails to bind fungus and concentrate the light therapy. The toenails will be exposed to the therapy light for 15 minutes each session. Sessions are biweekly for 4-5 months.
PDT clinical studies were undertaken at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. These clinical trials were conducted in consultation with footcare clinicians and under the guidance of an orthopedic surgeon. Studies revealed that the ClearToe Light Therapy resulted in complete or substantial clearance of toenail fungus in 76% of patients after 8-10 sessions. Also, we learned that in those individuals who are 65 and over, or have severe infection, more treatment sessions may be required. Ultimately, the studies concluded that ClearToe Light Therapy is an effective, safe, and relatively painless treatment option for fungal nail infection.
Give BioPed Footcare a call today to book a footcare consultation and inquire if PDT is an option for you!
