Imagine trying to pour motor oil into your car’s engine through the hood. That is precisely the problem with traditional nail disorder treatments.
Layers of bacteria, fungus, or yeasts and the nail itself form such a thick wall that oils and creams (whether pharmaceutical or natural) cannot pass through to treat the problem.
Finally, now a new study reveals how to break through the ‘hood’ and heal nail fungus permanently.
The journal Lasers in Medical Science has just published a study that shows that a treatment called laser-assisted drug delivery (LADD) could be a good solution.
LADD is a new approach that is gaining ground. The theory holds that lasers can help medications (or natural oils) penetrate deeper for better results.
This motivated the authors of the new study to do a review of the existing scientific literature to see whether it really worked.
They did some heavy lifting, sifting through 858 studies to find 15 studies on LADD that met their criteria. They looked at how lasers, specifically fractional ablative CO2 and Er:YAG lasers, are being used to treat nail fungus by delivering antifungal medications directly to the nail bed.
The results?
Most of the available studies show that lasers give medications a much-needed boost, making them more effective than when they’re used alone.
This worked both in people with nail fungus and for those dealing with nail psoriasis.
How does it work?
LADD uses lasers to create tiny channels in the nail, opening a pathway for topical medications to reach deeper layers where they can fight the problem.
The studies these scientists surveyed used lasers together with artificial antifungal medications, but there is no reason why it wouldn’t work for honey or any of a variety of antifungal essential plant oils like peppermint, tea tree, clove, thyme, Eucalyptus, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, Citronella, and lemongrass.
While LADD shows promise, it’s not without drawbacks. More research is needed to fully understand its long-term safety and effectiveness. Additionally, it’s not yet widely available and may not be covered by insurance.