Treatment of onychomycosis with a 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser.

BACKGROUND: There are various treatment modalities of onychomycosis. Of these, however, oral antifungal therapies are complicated by potential drug interactions and systemic effects, and the surgical treatment can result in prolonged pain. Therefore, a new, safe and effective therapy is needed that can improve the aesthetic appearance of the nails.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment of onychomycosis with a 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser.

METHODS: 13 patients (31 toenails, 12 fingernails) received five treatment sessions at 4-week intervals with a 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Parameters for each treatment were 6 mm spot size, 5 J/cm(2) fluence, 0.3 ms pulse duration and 5 Hz pulse rate.

RESULTS: Of the 13 patients, 8 (61.5%) were women and 5 were men. The mean age of the patients was 62. Of the 43 nails, 4 (9.3%) achieved a complete cure (9.3%), 8 had excellent treatment outcomes (18.6%) and 31 had good treatment outcomes (72%). None of the 13 patients experienced any discomfort except for a mild burning sensation and there were no adverse effects.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser could be a safe and effective treatment modality in the management of patients with onychomycosis.