PinPointe FootLaser Therapy: A Painless Solution for Toenail Fungus

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After nearly 19 years as a naval officer, then five as a teacher and five in the business world, Kathleen Iverson is taking advantage of retirement to tap into her creative side. She recently finished writing her first book, a memoir titled Just Out of Reach: My Challenges and Triumphs with Co-Dependence and ADHD, and will soon take up painting again. “I draw a lot, but I always wanted to paint,” Kathleen relates. “So, I took some classes, and now I’m setting up a room in my house for that. I’m looking forward to it.” Kathleen intends to paint “realistic things, like from a photograph.” For several years, if she had tried to paint a realistic picture of her feet, it would not have been pretty. Toenail fungus was the reason. “That struggle for me started about seven years ago on my left big toe, and then the fungus spread to the rest of my toes,” Kathleen reports. “At first, I thought I could handle it myself, but none of the over-the-counter medications I tried did anything. “Then the nail on that left big toe started to become crusty. It felt like it was going to come off, so I knew I had to do something different. That’s when I went looking for a podiatrist here in the Sarasota area, and that’s how I found Dr. Chiu.”

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Kathleen says the laser treatments have her toes looking “great again.”

Dawn Chiu, DPM, AACFAS, is a podiatric surgeon at Sarasota Foot and Ankle Center. During Kathleen’s initial visit to the practice, Dr. Chiu confirmed the presence of a fungus in all of Kathleen’s toes 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 before treatment begins. “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 Kathleen among her successes. “I received one major laser treatment and a couple of touch-up treatments over the course of a year, and Dr. Chiu also gave me a medicine to put on my feet twice a day,” Kathleen explains. “And now, my toes look great again. “Before I went to see Dr. Chiu, my toenails looked terrible. They were embarrassing. They were yellow and hard and looked kind of deformed almost. But now they look like they should look, and I could not be happier. “I went to Dr. Chiu because she does the laser treatment, and I would highly recommend her to others. “She knows what she’s doing, and she did a great job with me, not only with the laser treatment but in showing me how to use the medications and everything.”