McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
RFA vs EVLA treatment for varicose veins
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) are two minimally invasive treatments used to effectively treat varicose veins, but what’s the difference?
Published by Dr Alex Vesey
Date posted — 29.09.24
What are Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and endovenous laser ablation (EVLA)?
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) are two minimally invasive treatments used to effectively treat varicose veins. Both procedures aim to close off problematic veins, preventing them from causing further symptoms and leading to their eventual absorption by the body.
RFA uses radiofrequency energy to generate heat within the vein. A thin catheter is inserted into the vein through a small incision, and once inside, the radiofrequency energy is delivered through the catheter, causing the vein walls to heat up, collapse, and seal shut. This treatment is performed under local anaesthetic, and most patients experience little discomfort, with a quick recovery time and minimal scarring.
Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) works on a similar principle but uses laser energy instead of radiofrequency to achieve the same result. During EVLA, a laser fiber is guided into the affected vein, and when activated, the laser’s heat damages the vein walls, causing them to collapse and close off.
Like RFA, EVLA is performed under local anaesthetic and is considered highly effective for treating varicose veins. Both RFA and EVLA offer excellent outcomes with low risk of complications, making them preferred options over more invasive surgical treatments. These procedures allow patients to resume normal activities relatively quickly, with significant improvement in both the appearance of the legs and the symptoms associated with varicose veins.
What is the difference?
Although RFA and EVLA are very similar in terms of success rates at shutting down larger varicose veins, several studies have suggested that RFA may be associated with lower complication rates and so RFA is our preferred traditional endovenous method.
An even newer endovenous technique known as Venaseal™, however is an exciting addition to our practice. The success rate of Venaseal™ is similar to both RFA and EVLA, however, it uses glue rather than heat to close the veins and is associated with even less discomfort.
What are the benefits of RFA treatment?
The benefits of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) for treating varicose veins are numerous, making it a popular choice for both patients and doctors. RFA is minimally invasive, requiring only a small incision to insert a catheter into the affected vein. This results in less pain, minimal scarring, and a quicker recovery time compared to traditional surgical methods.
The procedure is typically performed under local anaesthetic, reducing the risks associated with general anaesthetic. RFA is highly effective, with a success rate of over 90%, and provides long-term relief from the symptoms of varicose veins, such as pain, swelling, and leg fatigue. Additionally, patients can usually return to their normal activities within a day or two, making it a convenient option for those looking for an effective and efficient treatment.
Expert Video
Dr Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team. Listen to him explain the Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) treatment.
Why is RFA better than “laser” or EVLA?
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is considered better than Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) for treating varicose veins in our practice because it’s generally a more comfortable experience and has lower risk of complications.
RFA typically causes less post-procedural pain and bruising because it uses radiofrequency energy, which generates a gentler heat compared to the intense heat from laser energy used in EVLA. This can result in a smoother recovery with less discomfort for patients.
Additionally, RFA has a slightly lower risk of nerve damage, particularly in areas where veins are close to nerves, such as the lower leg. The procedure’s outcomes are highly successful and comparable to EVLA, but with a more favourable side effect profile, making RFA a preferred option for many patients and clinicians.
Are there other options for varicose vein treatment?
Recently, we have introduced the Venaseal™ procedure. Venaseal™ is even less invasive because it avoids the use of heat all together which causes even less discomfort, whilst still achieving excellent closure rates and long term outcomes for patients.
Interested in Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)?
If you’d like to find out if Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is the right treatment for you, the first step is to fill out our online consultation form. From there, our team will be able to arrange an initial consultation and ultrasound scan and we can work together to create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs.
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The power of the chin! Improving a recessed chin with some filler is one of the most effective ways of reducing the appearance of jowls, without surgery.
This is an example of one of Dr Rhona`s patients who had this done recently.
The patient was delighted with the result. What do you think?
#fillers #chinfiller #jowls #nonsurgical
As most of you will know, I’ve been campaigning for years for regulation of aesthetic procedures in Scotland. It’s something that I feel extremely passionate about. There are too many people in this country who are harmed from cosmetic procedures and the government has chosen to look the other way.
The government have finally agreed to bring in regulations, but in my view, they are too little too late and I’ve been writing about it in the Herald this morning (read the article at the link in my bio) and talking about it on BBC Radio Scotland`s Good Morning Scotland (you can listen here and on BBC Sounds).
The proposed regulations will make a list of procedures medic only, but they have proposed to allow beauticians to keep injecting fillers in ‘Group 2`. This is the wrong approach and is all to do with politics, rather than patient safety. Filler injections are more invasive and more high risk than most of the procedures they are making medic only and its very clear fillers belong in Group 3, medic only.
There is a consultation on the regulations live right now and I would urge all of our patients and followers to fill it in, pointing out the discrepancy of allowing beauticians to carry on doing fillers whilst banning them from much more benign procedures like PRP. This needs to be about patient safety, not politics.
You can fill out a response to the consultation at the link in my bio.
Thank you!
(To all of our international followers struggling to get their head around this, in the UK we have a situation where yone - with no training and no regulation - can set up shop offering cosmetic procedures. We are campaigning to bring Scotland in line with every other country and ban this practice!)
We are all absolutely over the moon for our incredible patient who has achieved an incredible skin transformation to kick off the new year with!
The patient underwent full field skin resurfacing, which has dramatically transformed her skin. Look at how much tighter the skin on her cheeks and under eyes look - and how much improvement we achieved in reducing the lines and wrinkles.
We`ve been doing this treatment for a couple of years now and we have managed to refine our protocols to have most of our patients healed within 7-10 days now. It still takes months for the skin to get fully back to normal, but by day 10 most patients are now comfortable getting out and about with a bit of make up.
January and February are some of the most popular months of the year to do this treatment, whilst its still dark outside and social lives are quiet.
As the year draws to a close, I want to say a huge thank you to all of our patients who have allowed us to share their photos with you this year.
It takes a lot of courage for our patients to share what is a very personal choice but without that generosity we would not be able to illustrate to the world just what`s possible.
So thank you to every one of you.... here`s to 2025 and lots more incredible patient journeys in our new home! Happy New Year everyone ❤️
Twas the night before Christmas… when McKeown Medical was shut and the McKeowns were spending Christmas in the snow! ⛄️
What a year it’s been with the opening of our new luxury clinic on Bath Street, the launch of new services in the clinic and continuing to grow and develop our existing offering. We have so much more planned for the next twelve months that I can’t wait to tell you about, but for now it’s time for some family time.
I hope every one of our patients and supporters has the most wonderful festive period filled with family, love and lots of food!
Merry Christmas one and all 🎅🏻🎄
Another life changing result for one of our patients.
This patient`s main concern was the static lines etched into her skin around her mouth, so we opted for full field resurfacing.
She is just a month out from treatment and still has a little background redness but already very happy with where things are heading. What do you think?
This is another one of our resurfacing patients a year down the line, when the skin is fully healed and the results have had a chance to mature.
No other type of laser or resurfacing can do this - other than full ablation. The patient is loving life with her new smooth skin!
If you are interested in this treatment, send a pic by PM and we will get back to you.
Laser season continues with a vengeance! This is one of our patients just a couple of weeks after full field resurfacing.
She is already delighted with the improvement she has achieved, which continues to improve up until 6 months. What do you think?
Thank you soooo much to the two sisters who sent us this card this week. Every single one of us were a bit emotional that a patient felt strongly enough about us to go to this amount of effort!
We love what we do and we love our patients too - it’s nice to know the feeling is mutual 🥰
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Our dedicated team of experts are on hand to help you as you navigate your journey with us.
When you first make contact with us you will be assigned your own personal Patient Relationship Manager. They’ll start by understanding your needs and liaising with our doctors to book you an appointment with the most suitable specialist. For any additional questions or needs, you can message or call them anytime and they’ll be delighted to assist you. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible treatment and care tailored to your needs.
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