Question 1

Does the treatment hurt?

Accepted Answer

No. The Lunula is a cold laser, meaning it does not raise tissue temperature. Most patients feel nothing at all during a session, and there is no numbing, no bleeding and no recovery time afterwards.

Question 2

How many sessions will I need?

Accepted Answer

A standard course is four sessions of about 12 minutes each. Your podiatrist may adjust that based on how severe the infection is and how your nails respond.

Question 3

When will I see a difference?

Accepted Answer

Nails grow slowly. Clear nail appears as the plate grows out, so meaningful change is usually visible over three to six months rather than in the weeks straight after treatment.

Question 4

Is it safe if I can't take antifungal tablets?

Accepted Answer

Laser therapy avoids the systemic exposure of oral antifungals, which is why it is often considered for people who cannot take them. Your practitioner still needs to assess your individual circumstances, including any medications and health conditions.

Question 5

Will the infection come back?

Accepted Answer

It can. Fungus lives in shoes, socks, showers and nail files. Clinics usually pair treatment with hygiene advice — rotating footwear, treating shoes, and keeping nails trimmed — to reduce the chance of reinfection.

Question 6

Do I need to prepare my nails first?

Accepted Answer

No special preparation is required. Remove nail polish before your appointment and arrive with clean, dry feet.

Question 7

What makes this different from other nail lasers?

Accepted Answer

It is a dual-diode Class 2 laser. Rather than heating the nail, it combines a 405 nm wavelength for antifungal effect with a 635 nm wavelength that supports tissue repair and new growth, delivered through a rotating line beam that covers the whole nail unit.

Question 8

Are all laser wavelengths equivalent?

Accepted Answer

No. Higher wavelengths, generally 900 nm and above, are used in Class 4 devices and work by producing heat in the tissue. Lower-wavelength Class 2 lasers work through photobiological effects instead, without a clinically significant temperature rise.

Question 9

Why use two wavelengths rather than one?

Accepted Answer

They address different parts of the problem. The shorter violet wavelength targets the organism, while the longer red wavelength supports local immune and vascular activity so a healthier nail can grow through.

Question 10

Does the device produce a smoke plume?

Accepted Answer

No. Because there is no thermal ablation, there is no plume to extract and no burn risk to manage.

Question 11

Does a lower wavelength change the tissue response?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Broadly, the shorter the wavelength the stronger the antimicrobial effect, which is why 405 nm carries the antifungal role while 635 nm handles regeneration.

Question 12

What clinical response has been reported with the dual-diode approach?

Accepted Answer

Investigators reporting on a preliminary cohort of around 100 patients described average clearance in the low 70 per cent range within roughly three to four months after two treatments, without any concurrent oral or topical therapy. Moving to four weekly treatments has been reported to improve on that.

Question 13

Have complications been reported?

Accepted Answer

No adverse events were recorded across the reported trials. With a non-thermal device the practical worst case is no response rather than injury.

Question 14

Should a fungal culture be taken before treatment?

Accepted Answer

Many clinicians treat on clinical impression. Cultures return false negatives often enough that a negative result can delay care unnecessarily, and unlike oral antifungals there is no liver-toxicity risk that makes a definitive diagnosis essential first. That reasoning should be explained to the patient.

Question 15

How does it compare with Class 4 heat-based nail lasers?

Accepted Answer

Spot-delivery thermal devices cannot reliably reach the germinal matrix where fungus is often harboured, and they carry burn and necrosis risk — a real concern in diabetes or peripheral vascular disease. Sensory neuropathy compounds that, because pain feedback arrives too late. The Lunula covers the whole nail complex: plate, bed and matrix.

Question 16

What is laser plume and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Thermal lasers vaporise tissue, producing smoke and particulate debris. That plume can carry fungal spores, bacteria, irritants and toxic gases, exposing patients and staff, and requires extraction and filtration. A non-thermal device produces none.

Question 17

Is nail debridement required first?

Accepted Answer

Generally no, apart from markedly hypertrophic or thickened nails. Full nail-plate removal followed by direct irradiation of the bed is reserved for severe cases where conventional treatment has failed.

Question 18

Does response differ between Candida and dermatophyte infection?

Accepted Answer

Reported clinical response appears similar for both, and no study to date has demonstrated a clear differentiation.

Question 19

Why four treatments rather than two?

Accepted Answer

A single session increases microcirculation to the toe, but the effect is short-lived. Repeating weekly for four weeks sustains it, which supports faster growth of healthier nail tissue.

Question 20

What is the proposed mechanism of fungal cell destruction?

Accepted Answer

The 635 nm diode enhances mitochondrial energy metabolism and nitric oxide production, while 405 nm is an efficient generator of reactive oxygen species. Together they form peroxynitrite, a cytotoxic compound that damages fungal pathogens.

Question 21

How should reinfection risk be managed?

Accepted Answer

Treat partners with nail fungus at the same time, disinfect showers, sanitise or gas-sterilise closed-toe shoes, send patients home with an antifungal spray for daily shoe use, scrub toes daily, and use reputable salons with sterile instruments and freshly purchased polish.

Question 22

How much chair time does it consume?

Accepted Answer

Very little. The protocol is pre-set and runs unattended, so staff position the foot, start the cycle and attend to other work while it runs.

Question 23

How much training does the team need?

Accepted Answer

Operation is straightforward because there is no handpiece technique or power titration. The bigger part of training is patient selection and setting expectations, which we cover during onboarding.

Question 24

Can we see the clinical data before committing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Contact us and we will provide the regulatory documentation and study references so your clinicians can assess it themselves.

Fungal nails are common. The questions about treating them are too.

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