Best specialist for hemorrhoid treatment? Proctologist, Gastroenterologist or Phlebologist?
Hemorrhoids are the formation of painful lumps in the anal area due to blood clotting. When left untreated, it will cause an amount of bleeding at least, or worse, serious health problems like rectal or colon cancer.
The general symptoms of having hemorrhoids are the accumulation of dark tar-like stools, the occasional rectal bleeding, and a lump developing in the anal opening. All of these can all be cured at home and usually only takes 2-3 days until they disappear. However, if symptoms persist for a week or so without any improvement, it’s time to see a doctor.
Now the question is: what kind of doctor should you see about your hemorrhoids?
Two of the most popular doctors for this kind of problem are proctologists and gastroenterologists. Both of them are specialists in treating the rectum, colon, and anus.
Proctologists, or colorectal surgeons, are responsible for surgically treating the mentioned areas, and some of the services they provide are colon cancer resection, removal/treatment of anal warts and appendicitis, diverticulitis surgery, hernia surgery, and many others.
Gastroenterologists (GI) on the other hand, are specialized in gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis, hepatitis, Crohn’s disease, and colon or rectal cancer. Some GIs are known to provide non-surgical services for the removal of hemorrhoids.
The difference between the two specialists is that GIs are more on the diagnostic and non-surgical treatment side of things and only specialize in the digestive system, while proctologists are the interdisciplinary surgeons that GIs refer to when things get nasty.
In choosing who should see and treat your hemorrhoids, we suggest that you go to a gastroenterologist first to provide scoping procedures like colonoscopies (studies show that GIs have a high reputation in detecting colon polyps) and may give you treatment that you can do at home if things work out. However, if the tests show that these lumps are worsening – like cancer, for example, he/she will refer you to a proctologist to surgically remove the problem.
Another specialist that you may want to consider visiting is a phlebologist. They specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of venous disorders – varicose veins being the most common. Yes, they can also treat hemorrhoids through a procedure called sclerotherapy.
Sclerotherapy is the process of injecting chemicals to veins in order for them to “destruct” and reduce in size. This is mostly used for cosmetic purposes, especially in the leg area. It is often used to treat hemorrhoids too since it is an enlargement of veins in the anus.
This procedure may not be a common method for those suffering from hemorrhoids, but patients don’t usually have any complications from it. However, some patients have experienced chemical burn and some even had an allergic reaction to the injection, but these are rare occurrences.
Bottom line, when choosing your hemorrhoid doctor, you must consider all the positives and negatives of each. We still highly suggest visiting the first two mentioned for they are the most recommended everywhere you search. The important thing knows when you should go see them before things get from bad to worse.
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