Treatment of Nail Fungus

A recent article that appeared in the JOURNAL OF THE LASER AND HEALTH ACADEMY VOL. 2011, NO.1  it is reproduced below:

SUPPLEMENT JOURNAL OF THE LASER AND HEALTH ACADEMY VOL. 2011, NO.1  

Treatment of Nail Fungus (Onychomycosis) with a Long-Pulsed

Nd:YAG Laser

Rungsima Wanitphakdeedecha  

Mahidol University) Faculty of Medicine) Department of Dermatology) Siriraj Hospital Bangkok) Thailand  

SUMMARY  

Onychomycosis is common nail disease, especially in  

the elderly. Currently, there are various options to treat  

Nail Fungus (onychomycosis); however, most have limitations that  

include high failure rates, time-consuming and expensive  

treatments, and high risks of drug interactions. Previous  

studies about the treatment of dermatophyte  

onychomycosis with long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG lasers  

have demonstrated excellent outcomes, without severe side  

effects [1,2].  

To further evaluate the mycological results and side  

effects of onychomycosis treatments with a long-pulsed  

1064 nm Nd:YAG laser, we are conducting a study which  

will examine 92 onychomycotic nails. All nails will be  

treated with a long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser (Dualis  

SP; Fotona, Slovenia) for four sessions at a one-week  

interval. Treatment parameters will be set with fluences in  

the range of 35-45 J /cm2, a spot size of 4 mm diameter,  

pulse duration of 30-35 ms, and frequency of 1 Hz.  

Mycological results (potassium hydroxide examination and  

fungal culture) will be taken every week during the course  

of treatment.  

Until now, the study has not yet been completed. 25  

nails from 14 patients were enrolled and received four laser  

treatments. Most nails had distal and lateral subungual  

onychomycosis. The percentage of positive fungal culture  

tended to decline in the following visits as there were 85%,  

56%, and 44% of positive fungal culture at the 2nd, 3(d, and  

4th weeks, respectively. In addition, 48% of nails  

demonstrated mycological clearance at 1-month follow up  

  

(Figure 1) Treatment of Nail Fungus  

(a) before treatment (b) 1 Month Follow-up after last treatment  

Fig. 1: Onychomycotic nail treated with long-pulsed 1064 nm  

Nd:YAG laser (a) before, and (b) 1 month follow-up after laser  

treatments.  

In conclusion, long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser  

therapy is safe and effective in the treatment of  

onychomycosis. However, a larger sample size and longer  

follow-up term are needed.  

REFERENCES  

1. Kozarev], Vizintin Z. Novel Laser Therapy in the  

Treatment of Onychomycosis.] Laser Health Academy, 2010;  

1:1 -8 .  

2. Hochman LG. Laser Treatment of Onychomycosis using a  

Novel 0.6S-millisecond Pulsed Nd:YAG 1064-nm Laser.  

] Cosmetic Laser Therapy, 2011; 13(1):2-5.  

S08 SUMMARIES OF LAHA SYMPOSIUM: LASERS IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY, SLOVENIA MAY 20^th 2011  

Treatment of Nail Fungus

Our comments on the treatment of nail fungus although this study on the treatment of nail fungus using laser does not include a control group it definitely would support current findings that if used correctly the Nd:YAG laser is an excellent for the Treatment of  Nail Fungus.