I decided to try the UV-C light. They are available as light wands for disinfecting surfaces under several brand names. The one I purchased is by Verilux.

I have done two treatments (180 sec/day) across all 10 nails and the small strip on the bottom of my foot near the toes that remains very calloused and yellow. I plan to treat for 5 days and then resume my normal routine and evaluate in a couple of weeks.

My side effects have included minor soreness (like a mild sunburn) and very slight pinkness across the treated area. Both of these are considered "normal" reactions to the light. I have a small mole between my big toe and first toe which I cover with zinc oxide so it is not exposed.

The skin areas I have treated are becoming quite dry and flaky. The brown areas remaining in my nails are fading to a light beige color.

The company that is doing clinical trials is claiming a 73% "improvement" rate with this treatment. The practitioners I spoke with stated that they have excellent results in complex wound care using UV-C in conjunction with other treatments. There are very few contraindications - the main one involving people who have a sensitivity to the light or a history of skin cancer.

Interesting! I am really interested in knowing how you do with it. Where did you buy it and how much did it cost?

I bought the light on ebay for around $45.00 including shipping. The prices vary widely. It is a "light wand" about 2 feet long including the handle. Mine has a timer

I balance the light on two paperback books about an inch off of the floor. After washing my feet, I place my toes under the light one foot at a time so I can position the light to cover all toes. I have a mole on one foot and I cover it with zinc oxide since moles, freckles, etc are more sensitive to UV radiation. I am treating for 3 minutes per foot and will treat the nails for a total of 5 days and then assess in 4 weeks or so to see how they are growing. I will probably repeat in a month. My nails are filed very thin and this may be important since UV-C doesn't penetrate very deep. I will continue my other treatments (which have cleared nearly 1/2 of the nail except for the very edges.)

UV-C treatment is approved in wound care but is still investigational in treating nail fungus. There is literature that states it destroys fungal spores on food, in water treatment and in the environment. However, there is only lab assessment on the spores that cause foot/skin fungus.

You can read more by googling "UV-C, wound care", "UV-C, nail fungus", etc

Thanks Vperson! What was the seller id? Do you have a model number? I buy and sell quite a bit on ebay, so I'm familiar with it. I, too, tend to go there first, when I need something.

The product is called Verilux Clean Wave. The seller ID is ksquaredenterprisesllc. It sells for 29.99 plus shipping of 15.00. He shipped quickly - I received in a couple of days in the Midwest

http://www.delasco.com/pcat/pdf/DermaWandPhysInfo.pdf

http://www.delasco.com/pcat/pdf/DermaWandReport.pdf

In addition to the above, there is literature on other trials/uses for UV-C beyond where you would typically see it. I saw one trial where the government was investigating to see if UV-C could inactivate anthrax spores to reduce threats in bioterrorism attacks (through the mail, etc). Anthrax spores are highly resistant - and survive extreme heat, cold and chemical exposure.

My overall impression was that in my case there were no underlying contraindications, the therapy would be quite safe and if it works a pretty effective way to add a needed boost to my current treatment plan. In my case, as I mentioned, I have experienced about a 90% improvement with my current treatment plan with only about 10% involvement in very resistant pockets involving the normal nail folds. However, with many of the folks on the board reporting re-infection, I thought a more aggressive treatment was in order to get those nasty hanger oners.

I am about a month away from "sandal ready" toes but with our snow storm today - I doubt that the weather will cooperate.

I did see that seller's wands. Why don't you use it every day? Thanks!

Mostly because I want to see if it is effective. The research indicates that it clears the pathogens after three minutes of exposure. I am doing it for 15 minutes over five days and so, in theory, I have already destroyed the fungus and the spores present on the nail, nail bed and other treated areas. Since I know that the lamisil is an effective (albiet slow) treatment I expect to see an accellerated improvement in the nails and other affected areas.

The light dries my skin and dried cracked skin is likely what got this infection going in the first place. UV-C works by destroying the DNA/RNA in cells - but it is not specific to fungus cells. Since it is a short wave light it doesn't penetrate to the lower (epidural) layers of the skin where new cells are produced so it doesn't disrupt new skin production. My goal is to improve the health of my feet/nails to use the body's natural barriers to prevent further infection. So getting rid of the fungus/spores is only half the battle.

In treating about a month apart, I will catch the new skin/nail cells that may come in contact with any residual fungus and become infected. I am still using my red led therapy 3x per week which promotes healthy skin growth. Once I can expose my feet to sunlight again I will probably stop using the UV-C and red lights until next winter in favor of sunlight treatment.

I do wand my socks and disinfect my shoes/slippers daily with a bleach solution. I bleach my tub and soaking pan after use. As the wand's primary use is for surfaces, I use it to disinfect the files, clippers and other non-disposables prior to use to avoid re-infection.

Oh well...out to shovel snow

I might hold off to see how you do. (It's all about the money right now. I have no income.)

Thanks for the education and I can't wait to read how you do. Btw, when did you start this?

http://www.dermis.net/dermisroot/en/15540/image.htm

The above is a link to how my feet looked before I started treating last April. My infection did not go quite as high on the foot as this picture depicts. My nails were also considerably thicker. My soles had much the same pattern with thickened areas on the heels and ball of the foot, thickened skin between the toes and reddened areas on the arch and other "tender spots" The skin around the tops of the nails would grow very thick and hard which caused pain.

With the exception of a band of about 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide of skin across the bottom of my feet at the base of my toes - the infection has resolved. I still have a couple of areas on the side of my big toes that remain dry and will harden if not filed down with the ped egg.

I had visible brown in 10 of 10 nails - with moderate to severe thickening in all. Most simply crumbled when filed down about 2/3 of the way down the nail plate. The cuticles were brownish-yellow and very tough. I couldn't cut any of the nails with a nail clipper and had difficulty with a "nipper" type cutter. Initially when I filed the bulk out of them I used a dremel tool and followed up with a coarse nail file. For several months, I filed them down 2 to 3 times per week. Now I only file once a week with a fine file to remove the ridges.

The infection remains present only in the areas where the nail plate meets the cuticle on the sides of the nails - the growth is clear across the rest of the nail plate. Because the brown is due to an increased amount of keratin growth, it will take several days to know if that has resolved or not. I will take picts of my toes in the next few days to post if I can figure out how to do it and get a good shot.

I have one more day of light treatment.

Vperson--I can't say I scanned it, but just a couple of items of concern, jumped out at me. One of the links that you posted, was a risk of "melanoma or history of melanoma". My family has a history of melanoma. My father and sister both died of melanoma. When they say, "history of melanoma", do they mean my history or family history, in your opinion?

It appears that there's concern to the eyes. Did you use goggles?

Typically that type of warning is specific to the individual. However with the strong family history, I would consider your own risk factors - like your personal history of sun exposure, sun burn and the like. The research suggests that the exposure to the light gives no more exposure than 20 minutes in regular sunlight. If you have moles or freckles near your toes, you can protect with sunblock (I use zinc oxide on a mole) As an alternative, you could "drape" the unaffected part of your toes with a dark cloth to prevent exposure.

I am the original sunblock gal. I am fair with light eyes and don't tan. When I did competative swimming as a teen I always wore sunblocking stuff because I hated even a minor sunburn. Recently, I had a UV damage picture done at a health fair - the tech was really impressed by the lack of damage present given that I am in my mid 50s. I do confess to having a small wardrobe of sun hats that I use during the summer when I am outside for long periods of time....and I have the perfect tree to sit under when I am doing my sun treatments to my feet. (Now leafless and covered with a half foot of snow)

I use uv blocking sunglasses when I treat. They are my regular sunglasses - which are magnetically connected to my regular glasses that are coated for UV protection. I also exercise care in keeping the light pointed away from my face. My husband gets a kick out of my "treatments".

I just came across your thread and am dying to know -- did it work? Are you fungus free? Any info you can give is much appreciated!

It worked very well. I have 3/4 clearing of discoloration and no more thickening (although I still have one pretty large ridge.

Can't say for sure if it can be called "fungus free" as I am not going to spring for the formal testing but I can say that any remaining fungus is symptom free.

I am doing maintenance only now: treat the nails every 10 days to two weeks with a diy pedicure followed by UV-C for 4 min and my lamisil mixture. The remaining discoloration is a light beige color and easily covered with light pastel nail color.