Welcome on this page
…and let me start with giving you a compliment… you’ve just taken step one! Because I’m sure you are not on this page coincidentally… very likely you’ve got fungal nails yourself… or your partner has one or more. But don’t be embarrassed… Fungal nails is a common problem!
What is it anyway?
A lime nail, as it’s popularly called, or fungal nail is a nail infected with a fungus. Many funghi are useful, but not the ones on our feet. Because if a fungus is able to penetrate the nail(s) and spread, an Onychomycosis (medical term for nail fungus) develops. A fungus can only penetrate the nail if there is damage to the nail and surrounding skin.
It doesn’t have to be a big damage…a sharp nail that stings in the side of your toe can be enough. And often you can also damage your nails through sports or tight shoes. Fungi also love moisture and warmth and that’s exactly what your feet usually are …moist and warm.
How do I get rid of it?
Fungal nails are not only common but also terribly difficult to treat…but by now you will know that. There are literally hundreds of agents that you can smear and drip. But in general, these agents do not kill the fungus. There are oral medications that are quite effective but the disadvantage of this is that it is quite bad for your liver and a doctor will have to give you good guidance and test your liver values.
We also have the laser therapy which has been successful in about 60% of the cases. They cure about 60% of the fungal nail problems … but it also happens regularly that with the heat of the laser therapy one or more nails are permanently damaged by burning.
PACT® Fungal Nail Therapy
PACT® Fungal Nail Therapy is a relatively new method of treating fungal nails and is almost 100% successful in killing fungi. This treatment therapy comes from the dental world where the red light and the blue gel are still being used.
PACT® treatments are effective and painless and have no side effect. The results and the recovery phase to a healthy nail are unprecedented. PACT is an abbreviation and a scientific term for Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemo Therapy. With this method, fungi can be killed very effectively on foot and fingernails.
How does this PACT® treatment work?
STEP 1
In the preliminary stage I will first, with the help of a test, determine whether you really have fungus nails because not all discoloured and/or thickened nails are fungal nails. It could also be a Horn nail or a Psoriasis nail.
I will do the test in my practice and if we are sure that you really have one or more fungal nails, we can start the actual PACT® treatment. If you have already had a test carried out somewhere else (for example by the family doctor or another pedicure) and it was positive, we can skip this step.
STEP 2
The PACT® treatment consists of 5 sessions. Three sessions are carried out in a time frame of about 10 days, then another one after one month and the fifth treatment is carried out another month later.
With each session, the nail fungus is cut, thinned and slightly roughened. Then a gel is applied to the nail containing the photosensitiser Toluidin-blue (light-sensitive dye). This dye penetrates the nail during the application period.
After the exposure time, a special PACT® lamp with red LED light is placed on the nail. Because this light has a specific wavelength, the blue dye in the gel is activated and radical oxygen is produced, which damages the cell wall of the fungus. If the cell wall is broken, a fungus can no longer live and dies. Because the cell wall of a human being is constructed differently from that of a fungus, this treatment method is otherwise harmless for humans.
STEP 3
Once the fungus has been killed, the post-treatment process can begin. It is important that you are not reinfected and that your nails quickly grow healthy again.
We therefore agree that you will come for a check-up every 6 weeks for at least a year. You will receive a basic pedicure treatment and, if necessary, a booster session with the Toluidin blue and lamp.
Therapy Loyalty
During the PACT® Fungal Nail Treatment, you are asked to do your utmost to prevent re-infection and to help repair your nails. The therapy alone is no guarantee for the future. That is why you can buy an anti-fungal set from us for treatment at home during and after the treatment.
You should also assume that, if you have ever had fungal nails, you will probably be susceptible to them for the rest of your life and therefore have a greater chance of re-infection. That’s why we ask you to use an antifungal product on your nail during the treatment and in the first period thereafter to protect it as much as possible.
I also advise you to avoid places where a fungal infection can be contracted as much as possible or to take measures against it. Wear your flip-flops in swimming pools, showers of gyms, saunas etc. You can also preventively rub your feet with an anti-fungal agent if walking on flip-flops is not practical.
Make sure you rinse and dry your feet thoroughly after washing…especially between the toes! Put on clean socks every day and always wash all socks at 60 °C in the washing machine (separate sock wash).
All your shoes (but also slippers, flip-flops, sandals etc.) should be disinfected with a fungicide spray each time before putting them on. Here too, you will continue until one year after the treatment.
Finally, the intention is to support and stimulate the growth of a new (healthy) nail and I advise you to use special nail oil. As a ‘foot specialist’ I am of course happy to advise you on this.
PACT® Fungal Nail Therapy
The PACT® Fungal Nail Therapy is a special treatment method. In order to ensure the quality of this treatment therapy, it is only performed by qualified therapists.
The success of the treatment (over time) largely depends on how ‘therapy-loyal’ you are. If you are not, the treatment itself will be successful, but you will be re-infected after a relatively short period of time (usually within a year).
If you want to know what the possibilities are to get beautiful and healthy toenails again, please call me!