Laser Ablation Therapy
Laser ablation therapy is a minimally invasive, relatively quick, and effective procedure to treat pilonidal cysts. The area is cleaned, and anesthesia is applied before using a unique laser fiber to clear the pilonidal pockets embedded with hair and debris, remove the pit, and collapse the pilonidal sinus. This special laser fiber comes with a glass-tipped probe inserted into the pilonidal sinus, allowing pulses of laser energy to align and directly apply high-intensity light to destroy the cyst and close up the sinus.
Sometimes, the doctor makes an incision to remove the pit using a sharp instrument. Other times, there is no need to make an incision as the laser treatment alone is enough to clear and heal all infected areas. Laser ablation therapy is particularly popular not only because of its effectiveness. The speed by which patients can recover and return to normal activities after the procedure is incredible, ranging from only 1 to 2.5 days. Not only that, patients who had laser surgery report less pain immediately after the surgery, requiring only five days of the postoperative need for painkillers.
