Yes, it does leave round circles and they go after a few days but sometimes as in my case because I am light skinned it will bruise.
Painful, no, not at all but seeing blood is scary in any case.
My doctor takes a tiny scapel and cuts 7-9 times and you barely feel more than a pin prick.
It is extremely healthy to do this. It is like doing a liver flush or a bowel cleanse something everyone should do once a year, over 40 twice a year and 55 and more 3-4 times a year. It removes all the bad blood from you and the doctor can see from the shape and color of the blood if you are sick.