Methods for treating dermal infection in an appendage of a mammal can include removing, such as by grinding off, a first nail portion of an appendage a mammal to expose a second nail portion of the appendage. A laser absorbing compound can be applied to the second nail portion of the appendage. The second nail portion can be irradiated with a laser of a treatment system to selectively heat the laser absorbing compound. Methods can also include applying a system for treating dermal fungal infection. A system can include a laser, an imaging unit for obtaining infection image data, and/or an alignment stage for receiving an infected portion of a mammal including the dermal fungal infection and aligning the infected portion of the mammal with the laser. A system can also include a control unit for controlling relative movement between the laser and the alignment stage.
