Is there any kind of pain during EVLT treatment? Does this kind of treatment leave, touch, or scars on my skin?
EVLT is a procedure that requires several needles and the injection of fluid to numb the areas. In general, it is well tolerated. 80% of my patients take no medication for the procedure and 20% will take one mg of oral Ativan, pre-procedure. Post-procedure, most patients take either nothing or ibuprofen for pain.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
During the EVLT procedure the patient will feel few needles of the local anesthetic (4-5 needles). During recovery, 50% of the patients do not feel anything. Fifty percet will describe a pulled muscle sensation in the thigh area. Not severe at all. Occasionally needs the use of Tylenol.
Rodolfo D. Farhy, MD, FACC, FAHA
Published on Jul 11, 2012
EVLT is a minimally invasive procedure performed in the office entirely under local anesthesia, or with a mild oral sedative. There is minimal discomfort experienced during, or after, the procedure. The vein that is treated lies at various depths under the skin, so the skin must first be numbed so that the subsequent treatment can be done without any discomfort at all. What you will feel will be just a few tiny, little needlesticks to first numb the skin. Once this is done there is truly little, to any, discomfort at all.
Since the cannula through which the laser is placed goes in through a needlestick, there are no incisions needed, and no scarring at all. The needlestick hole will fade over the first few weeks to nothing more than the appearance of a tiny freckle, and over a period of weeks to months will fade completely, leaving no residual mark or scar.
TWright MD
Published on Jul 11, 2012
EVLT is term implying treatment with the VNUS radiofrequency device
EVLA implies treatment with a laser (several companies)
Generally speaking these technologies are painless after local anesthetic
(usually tumescent anesthesia) is administered. This is much like seeing the
dentist and after he "numbs" the tooth it doesn't hurt to treat it. Since
the procedure is done through a puncture wound there should not be any
scars. If the vein is very close to the skin there can be pigmentation
changes.
Bruce R Hoyle MD
Published on Jul 11, 2012
In our clinic, all procedures are done under local anesthesia. You may feel several small "sticks" when we numb the skin before injected the deeper local. That is all you should feel. As far as scarring goes, it varies from person to person. The access site for the laser is a small puncture on the inside of the leg around the knee area. If you heal well, there may be no mark. Otherwise there may be a small residual dot which may fade over time. In rare cases there may be some pigmentation changes in the skin but this should not occur when the vein is deep and with plenty of local surrounding the vein.
Norman N. Bein MD FACS RVT
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Minimal pain, and no scarring.
Published on Jul 11, 2012