What is PACT Med?

Photodynamic antimicrobial therapy (PACT), is a safe and pain-free treatment for fungal toenail infections. PACT takes ten minutes per infected nail, around five treatments are advised initially, dependent on the severity of the infection this may differ.

How does it work?

PACT uses a combination of a specialist gel and a light device to stop the infection spreading. Unlike human cells, fungal cells have a cell wall which is dyed once the gel is applied. The blue gel is a non-toxic dye applied directly to the infected nail. This gel causes the fungus to become hypersensitive to light. The PACT Lamp device is then used to expose the affected area to a high wavelength of light to stop growth of the fungal nail infection and destroy 99.9% of all bacteria and fungi; without causing any damage to your skin or nail.

Who is it suitable for?

Those with a fungal nail infection on the toe. The infection must be classified as mild/moderate, when the infection is severe and penetrating past the cuticle area of the toe, it is not possible for the gel/light to access the portion of infected nail which lies beneath the skin of the cuticle therefore the effectiveness is significantly reduced. A severe nail infection is where the infection is affecting most of the nail plate / affecting 3 or more nails, or the infection is penetrating past the cuticle.

Treatment

An assessment appointment would be made with a podiatrist in order assess the extent and severity of the fungal infection. The length of treatment would depend on the severity of the infection. A standard infection would be treated using five treatment sessions within three months, which the blue gel dye and PACT Lamp device would be used in order to kill the fungal infection. During the initial assessment session, each infected toenail will be cut and filed and the thickened nail reduced with a podiatry drill. This procedure allows the blue gel dye to penetrate the active fungal cells, enabling the most effective treatment. The application of blue gel dye to each nail takes ten minutes.

The PACT light therapy can commence for nine-and-a-half minutes on each infected nail. After each treatment you can continue with your day as normal. A follow-up appointment would be required four - six weeks later for a further PACT session. The healthy nail should continue to grow normally and infection-free. Everybody's nails grow at a different rate, so healthy, clean nail growth might take as long as twelve months to fully clear. More severe infections may require follow-up treatments for a period of up to 6 months and possibly longer, dependent on the severity of infection.

Aftercare

To avoid reinfection, it is imperative to follow a treatment plan as recommended by the podiatrist. Once someone has developed a fungal nail infection, they are much more prone to re-developing the condition in the future, therefore changes must be made to the patients foot health and hygiene regime.

Side effects

No adverse side effects are indicated. During treatment sessions some patients have stated a slight warm feeling to the nail but nothing painful. The blue dye used during treatment can stain the nail for several days after treatment.