Painless, in-office laser treatment corrects toenail fungus.
After working alongside one another for the better part of 30 years, Ashleigh* and her husband, a noted New Jersey periodontist, decided to reward themselves in retirement with a new home in Florida.
It was a little more than a year ago, while the couple was in the process of preparing for their move south, that a relatively minor, everyday type of mishap sparked a slightly larger issue for Ashleigh.
“I don’t remember exactly when it happened, but I dropped a bottle of shampoo on my foot in the shower one day, and it broke my left big toenail,” Ashleigh reveals. “When the nail started growing back, it didn’t grow back properly.”
Ashleigh knew she had a problem that had to be addressed, but she waited until she’d completed her family’s move to Florida to address it. She’s glad she did because it was here in Florida that she found the right doctor
and the right treatment.
“I just happened to pick up a copy of Florida Health Care News one day, and in there was a story about a doctor who was doing a laser treatment for toenail fungus,” Ashleigh relates. “I called her up and made an appointment.”
On Pointe
The doctor Ashleigh read about is Dawn Chiu, DPM, a board-qualified podiatric surgeon at Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center, where she first saw Ashleigh a little more than a year ago and discovered she was suffering from trauma-induced toenail fungus.
Dr. Chiu’s preferred weapon of choice in fighting toenail fungus is a laser treatment called PinPointe™ FootLaser® therapy. She prefers it because it requires no blood tests, kills the underlying fungus, causes no side effects and can be done in the doctor’s office.
The in-office treatments take only a few minutes, during which time the laser is passed over the nail in a crisscross pattern to ensure full coverage. The patient usually feels a warm sensation on their toe while the laser is passed but no pain.
Afterward, the patient can walk out of the office and resume normal activities. Dr. Chiu recommends the patient return for follow-up visits every three months for a year, which is the length of time the nail needs to fully grow out as a clear, new nail grows in.
When combined with topical ointments, the laser treatment has an 80 percent success rate, states Dr. Chiu, who recommended the treatment for Ashleigh, who was very pleased with the results of her treatment.
“I’d done some reading on the laser treatment before I had it done, so I knew it was the right way to go,” Ashleigh says. “And just as I thought, it cleared up the problem very nicely, and more quickly than if I had only used ointments.
“It was all very painless, and now that toenail has grown back normally and looks great. Dr. Chiu did a great job, she wasn’t pushy at all about the treatment, and her staff is very professional as well.
“They did a great job of calling and reminding me of my check-up appointments that I had every three months, which I really appreciate. I definitely recommend Dr. Chiu and Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center. They do a great job there.”
