Podiatry Portal » Dermatology http://www.podiatry-portal.com Your Portal to the the latest Podiatry Information Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:22:15 +0000 en hourly 1 Lasers for onychomycosis http://www.podiatry-portal.com/lasers-for-onychomycosis/153/ http://www.podiatry-portal.com/lasers-for-onychomycosis/153/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:50:35 +0000 admin http://www.podiatry-portal.com/?p=153 The use of lasers for onychomycosis has generated some heated debate (Laser treatment for nail fungus) on its usefulness and the evidence for its use. There is very little evidence for its use and no controlled clinical trials have yet compared it to current treatments or a placebo. This has not stopped it being widely adopted into clinical practice and many claims made for its effectiveness (see the You Tube videos).

The most recent published research Treatment of Mild, Moderate, and Severe Onychomycosis Using 870- and 930-nm Light Exposure, certainly shows some promise, but this was a small uncontrolled outcome study.  The outcomes look good, but there was no control group and no comparison to the current commonly used strategies.

The FDA has approved several devices for this therapy, but is only for safety and not efficacy. More clinical trials, that are independent and well controlled are urgently needed.

]]> http://www.podiatry-portal.com/lasers-for-onychomycosis/153/feed/ 0 Chilblains http://www.podiatry-portal.com/chilblains/131/ http://www.podiatry-portal.com/chilblains/131/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:03:03 +0000 admin http://www.podiatry-portal.com/?p=131 Chilblains are a common problem in certain parts of the world and almost unheard of in other parts of the world. Chilblains occur when there is a too rapid change from cold to warm temperature and the microcirculation does not respond as quickly as it should. This sets up an inflammatory reaction in the toe. Despite chilblains being very common in some climates, not a lot of research has been published on chilblains. The most recent published research was this: Perniosis: clinical and histopathological analysis that does not give a lot of insight into the problem. There are many suggested remedies, but none have been really tested in any controlled trials. Chilblains do remain somewhat of an enigma for the profession. There are many chilblain creams and chilblain ointments on the market.

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