The Beach Is Back

Painless laser tool ends toenail fungus, so you can sink your feet in the sand

 For six years, the page cut from a magazine listing the top five beaches in the U.S. was held against the door of Mary Anne’s* refrigerator by a couple of magnets. One by one, the suburban Montreal native checked off each as she visited them until one remained. 

“Siesta Key Beach,” Mary Anne offers. “That was the last one I needed, and I saved it for last because a friend of mine visited there and loved it so much that she wound up moving there. I thought I might do the same.” 

Mary Anne did follow her friend to Siesta Key. She made the move two years ago with plans to spend as much time as possible digging her toes into the sand. And that’s exactly what she did. But for all the wrong reasons. 

“I was here about a month, when out of nowhere, my left big toe and the one next to it started looking all brown and crusty,” Mary Anne laments. “They looked so nasty that I was embarrassed to walk around without shoes on. 

“My friend told me it was toenail fungus. She said she had it, too, and that after a year she finally went to see a doctor in Sarasota who took care of it. I waited about a year, too, then finally asked my friend for the doctor’s name.” 

The doctor is Dawn Chiu, DPM, AACFAS, of Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center. During her initial visit with Mary Anne, Dr. Chiu confirmed the presence of a fungus and recommended PinPointe™ FootLaser® therapy as a treatment. 

Dr. Chiu calls PinPointe FootLaser therapy her “weapon of choice” in the battle against toenail fungus because it’s a quick, easy, painless, in-office treatment that kills the fungus without side effects and does not require patients to take a blood test beforehand. 

“PinPointe FootLaser treatments last only a few minutes, during which time the laser is passed over the nail in a crisscross pattern to ensure full coverage,” Dr. Chiu explains. “Patients usually feel a warmth on their toe during the treatment but no pain.” 

 After each treatment, patients can return to normal activities immediately. When combined with topical ointments, the laser therapy has an 80 percent success rate, according to Dr. Chiu, who counts Mary Anne among her successes. 

“The treatment worked incredibly well,” Mary Anne confirms. “I received a laser treatment the first day I visited Dr. Chiu and another three months later. That was it, and after the second treatment, the fungus started to disappear. 

“Now, my toes look great, just like normal. I was really pleased with the treatment, and it was so easy. It didn’t hurt at all, and most importantly, it worked. 

“I would recommend Dr. Chui and Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center in a snap because they do great work.” ■ 

* Patient’s name changed at her request 

BY ROY CUMMINGS
Florida Health Care News
roy.cummings@ifoundmydoctor.com 

About Roy Cummings

Roy Cummings is a native of Chicago, Illinois who grew up in the suburb of Lombard. He and his family later moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Roy attended high school at Kathleen High. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications in 1983 and immediately went to work for the Tampa Tribune. After five years working in a Polk County bureau covering everything from high school sports to college football to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, Roy moved back to Tampa and became the Tribune's first beat writer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, covering the team from its inception through the first eight years on the ice. He was then moved to the Buccaneers beat, where he stayed until the paper was folded in May, 2016. A two-time Florida Sports Writer of the Year, Roy has extensive experience covering all Tampa professional sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays.

 
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