Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy for the treatment of Nail Fungus

News

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail and is estimated to affect up to 1.6 million Australians. Two currently available treatments include antifungal nail lacquers that are applied daily/weekly and prescribed oral medications.

It can be frustrating to have to apply the lacquers daily/weekly especially considering it takes at least 3 months to see improvement, given the slow growth of toenails. Furthermore, prescribed oral medications can interact with other drugs and can produce adverse effects making them unsuitable for some people.

Treatment with 

Example of Treatment Progress 

Initial consult

      

5 weeks

    

11 weeks  

 

What is PACT?

PACT is an abbreviation and a scientific term that stands for Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy. With this method , bacteria, viruses and fungi can be killed off effectively on skin surfaces and nails without pain.

How does it work?

Micro organisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi all possess a cell wall, whereas typical human cells only have a cell membrane. Upon application of the PACT Fungal Nail Gel, the dye selectively targets the fungal cell walls making them sensitive to light.

The fungal cells can then be destroyed upon exposure to light of a specific wavelength. This results in a chemical reaction that kills targeted cells without harming healthy tissue

Benefits of PACT

• Destroys fungus and bacteria 
• Pain free
• Safe on skin
• No nasty side effects 

How many treatments?

The number of treatments will depend on the length of time you have had the infection for and the severity.

A typical treatment plan may consist of:

First Visit

• Diagnose infection 
• Determine severity 
• Prepare nail prior to PACT treatment 

Second Visit (2-3 Days)

• Application of photosensitising gel
• Application of PACT light source 

Third Visit (7-10 Days)

• Review
• Repeat application of gel and PACT light source 

Fourth Visit (8 weeks)

• Assess nail
• Repeat application of gel and PACT light source 

Important note: The treatment plan is an example only and may need to be altered depending on the clinical presentation, age and general health of the individual and any preexisting medical conditions.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us so we can determine if this is the right treatment option for you.