Yellow, Thick, Crumbly Nails

It is starting to get colder outside and its time to be putting those little toes away into closed toed shoes and boots. With this being said, it is the perfect time to be treating your toenail fungus. Toenails take about 6 months to a year for them to fully grow out and so you are looking at the exact time frame that you would need between now and when it becomes sandal season again.

Laser nail  therapy is a process where specific wavelengths are used to kill the fungus that is causing your toenails to become yellow, thick, flaky and crumbly. Using the laser nail therapy can require 1 usage to several depending upon how receptive your body is to the treatment. Often times, your podiatrist will pair the laser therapy with an additional antifungal treatment to make sure that your fungus is fought the best way that it can be. Consulting with your podiatrist will provide you with knowledge about the treatment options that are best for you. They will also be able to give your a good idea as to the results that you can expect.

So if you or someone that you know is struggling with fungal toenails that you are  not happy with their appearance or they are causing you pain due to their thickness and pushing against your shoes. If you are needing fungal nail treatment, you should seek support from your podiatrist. If you live in the Wesford or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835

Thick, Yellow, Crumbly Toenails & How to Get Rid of Them

So, you would think that spring and summer should be here, but in some parts of the country, the snow just won’t go away. Some parts of the country are starting to warm up though and in those parts it is time for flip-flops. For those of you that are ready for the warm weather, some of you might be a little nervous about taking off those shoes and socks and showing those toenails. There are many people that have yellow, thick, crumbling nails that are embarrassed to bear their nails in public.

Your nails can turn all yellow and thick as a result of fungus. The fungus gets inside of your nails and attacks them turning them yellow and sometimes black. As we start to get a little older, our immune system doesn’t work as well. Fungus takes advantage of the situation and attacks your nails at their weakest moment. Unfortunately, once fungus gets a leg in the door, it can be a real beast to kick it out. There are several options for treatment including oral medications, lotions, creams and drops. There is a newer treatment though, that involves a laser that is seeing great results.

The laser is tuned to a particular frequency that kills the fungus but doesn’t harm your body. The laser may need to be used a couple of times, dependent upon the severity of your fungus. Once the laser has been used though, it is important to remember that it can take a year for your nail to grow out new. So, you have to be patient in order to see results occur.

So, if you or someone you know yellow, thick, fungus toenails and it is causing them a great deal of pain or to be self-conscious, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Tewksbury or Boston, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your nail. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Is Your Nail Starting to Fall Off?

Is your nail starting to come off? Is it thick and yellow colored? Is their pain in your toenail when you are wearing yours shoes? All of these factors could point to you having fungus toenails. The fungus can cause your toes to change color, thicken and quite frankly just be painful.

So, what can you do for these toenails? Well, if your toenail is starting to lift off of its base, then you need to come in so that we can clip it down to the point where it is still attached. As strange as it may sound and look to have a short toenail, it would be much worse if that toenail caught on your sock and ripped the whole thing off. Not to mention how painful that would be.

Now, what about the color and the thickness? Well, fungus nails can be very difficult to treat. So, we want to be as aggressive as possible. There are topical creams and clear nail polish that can be painted on to treat your nails. There is also an oral medication that you can take. It is just important that you liver is monitored while you are on this medication to make sure that you don’t have some side effects.

One of the best ways to treat your fungus toenails is using a new technology. We use a laser that makes use of particular wavelengths to kill the fungus. The most important thing that you need to remember is that the laser is killing the fungus so that your new nail will look healthier. It will not change the appearance of the old nail though. So, it will take 6 months to a year for you to see a full change as your nail grows out. It may take longer depending upon how slow your nail grows. Some people like to combine the medication and the laser so that you are really treating the problem aggressively.

If you or someone you know has thick, yellow, fungus nails, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Pelham or Windham, New Hampshire area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover and 87 Jackson St, Methuen.

Treatment for Warts, Thick Yellow Nails, and Torn Ligaments or Tendons

What are some new treatment modalities available for fungus nails and injured ligaments or tendons? Well, there is one specific treatment that our office uses called laser therapy. Now, you’ve all heard of the lasers for treating your eyesight and removing moles and warts, but maybe you haven’t heard about the lasers we use in podiatry. There are a couple of uses for this therapy including fungus nails, ingrown nails, treating injured tendons or ligaments and removing warts and moles.

For fungus nails, the treatment will usually take one treatment, but depending upon your body a follow-up treatment may be required. You really will not feel anything when you are being treated other than some focal warmth in the area. Depending upon how severe your case is, your nails may or may not return to their original appearance. However, they will be better.

The laser can also be used over tendons and ligaments that are partially injured. The laser functions by stimulating the cells that produce healing and new growth to occur. Over time, the goal is to return your ligament or tendon to as close to its original condition as possible.

Lasers have been used for many years to remove warts and moles. This is still being done in both dermatologists and podiatrists offices. This particular treatment has a little more pain associated with it and so we will numb the area first before removing the growth.

Laser therapy is changing on a daily basis and new treatments for this technology are being discovered. If you or someone you know is interested in any of the treatments above, our office would be more than happy to schedule an appointment for you. Our offices serve the Dracut, Methuen, and Tewksbury, Massachusetts areas. We are also happy to announce our office in North Andover, Massachusetts and it can be found at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845.

Yellow, Thick, Fungus Nails

Do you have thick or yellow nails? This is due to nail fungus that is causing your nails to change color and to become thick. Unfortunately, fungus nails are very difficult to treat and often will not go away with typical treatments like creams and medications. Since these methods usually don’t work well, it often leaves you frustrated and not wanting to wear shoes that show your toenails. Don’t worry though, because there is another treatment plan that has shown a great deal of promise.

Laser therapy treatment is a relatively new innovation to come to the field of podiatry. It has several treatments including fungal nails, injured tendons and injured ligaments. Laser therapy makes use of specific wavelengths to jumpstart your injury into an acute, early injury stage removing it from the chronic state of injury it has been in. This part of the treatment helps to restore your nail to its normal state by decreasing the thickness of your nail and returning the color to normal. The other aspect of the treatment plan is that the laser therapy kills the fungus removing the infection that is causing the changes in your nails.

Since laser therapy is so new, many people are apprehensive about the treatment. However, there have not been any really serious contraindications to the treatment. Laser therapy should not be used on women that are pregnant and people that have a tumor in that area. The treatment itself varies in length depending on the individual and how severe your fungal infection is.

If you are interested in laser therapy for fungal nails or if you are having any other podiatric conditions, our office can be reached at (978) 794-8406. We would be more than happy to help you schedule an appointment so that Dr. Wachtel can discuss all of the treatment options available for you.  If you live in the Methuen, North Andover, Tewksbury or Lowell, Massachusetts area, we would be more than happy to see you and help you get back up on your feet.