Procedures always come with risks—the possibility of infection, reoccurrence of the original problem, and scarring are among the top concerns people have when their feet undergo any type of minor out-patient surgery. What if you could treat your feet with significantly lower risks and without those concerning side effects, but not sacrifice the quality of your care? Medical technology has come far enough that this is possible. Laser surgery for feet can take care of a number of conditions, with minimal risks and few or no side effects, while still completely resolving the original issue.
An Alternative to Scalpels
Although using powerful medical lasers has been accepted and employed in other fields for some time, podiatrists have only recently begun to use them for treating problems in the feet and ankles. Laser surgery for several different conditions has been studied and approved by the FDA in the last several years, allowing doctors to invest in this new technology as a safe alternative for treating the lower limbs.
At NorthPointe Foot & Ankle, we have been trained and certified to treat several conditions – like warts, fungal toenails, ingrown nails, and deeply-rooted calluses – through laser procedures instead of using the traditional and riskier “scalpel route.” Rather than cutting into your skin and removing the damaged tissues manually, a high-intensity light beam is focused on the spot being treated. The laser vaporizes the water within the damaged or infected cells being targeted and destroys them, simultaneously sterilizing and sealing the area as well. The surrounding tissues are not even affected. The site being treated swells less and heals more quickly than after a traditional procedure, so you experience less pain and aren’t as likely to develop complications.
Depending on your condition, a laser surgery may take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to complete, and many conditions only need one procedure to be effective. You will be given local anesthesia if necessary, and then an expert will carefully treat the area of the foot that needs it. Warts are cleared away, the damaged tissues from ingrown nails are cleaned out, infection-causing fungus is eradicated, and callused skin is softened and removed. Once the surgery is completed, you are free to return to your daily routine and activities.
Expert Services
The experts at NorthPointe Foot & Ankle now have a special laser center attached to their Berkley office to house their top-of-the-line Pulse Dye and CO2 Ultrapulse laser equipment. With a technologist on hand to manage the machinery, you will be treated in a clean, sterilized environment by staff who have been specially trained to perform these procedures—no sharp blades or hospital stay necessary.
If you are concerned about skin or nail issues in your lower legs or feet, you don’t have to just cover them up and hope they heal on their own. Many conditions that are resistant to medicine or other conservative treatments have been reduced or eliminated completely through laser surgeries. So don’t accept your foot and ankle discomfort as inevitable—do something about it. You can seek real relief, and find it, at the NorthPointe Foot & Ankle office in Berkley. Contact us for an appointment or more information by calling or visiting our website contact page.