DELRAY BEACH, FL--You may have seen some of the commercials for treating toenail fungus. It may sound funny--but it's very real for many people.
Now, a new procedure is getting rid of the pain and the fungus-quickly and painlessly.
Ken Staggs saw a white mark that didn't go away. It didn't look like much.
"A little white indication, it goes across the toe, I dropped a paver on my toes," said Staggs.
Ken found out he had a common problem: Toe fungus.
"Almost everyone gets toe fungus, it's an infection of opportunity," says Dr. Gary Lieber.
For years, Dr. Lieber of Delray Beach had only topical and oral treatments. Now he has a laser called the 'Pinpoint'. It's FDA approved for other uses and now effectively treats toenail fungus
"You move the laser across the nail and vaporize the fungus under the toenail resulting in sterile nail bed as far as the fungus is concerned," he says.
"The advantage of this pinpoint laser is that one thirty minute treatment destroys the fungus. Compare that to taking medications for up to 9 months...and in many cases they didn't work," he says. "You feel a little heat but no extreme pain."
Ken's one time treatment took less than thirty minutes. The pinpoint laser for toenail fungus is not usually covered by insurance and costs around $900 dollars.
Results are usually seen within 6 months.
