Proctologist in Salt Lake City, UT
A proctologist is a doctor that specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tract conditions. Now referred to as colon and rectal surgeons, our physicians at Associates in Colon and Rectal Surgery perform a variety of diagnostic procedures such as sigmoidoscopies and colonoscopies to diagnose conditions such as colorectal polyps, hemorrhoids, bowel diseases and diverticulitis, as well as to determine the cause of certain digestive symptoms such as rectal bleeding, abdominal pain and bowel incontinence.
Despite the title, our colon and rectal surgeons also offer nonsurgical treatment options to address disorders that affect the digestive tract. We handle everything from minor issues such as anal itching, constipation and hemorrhoids to more serious bowel disorders and even colorectal cancer. Having a proctologist that you can turn to once a year for routine checkups can be beneficial to your health, particularly if you have a family or personal history of digestive diseases, colon polyps or colorectal cancer. What makes us different from a gastroenterologist is that we can also provide surgical treatment, which means that if the condition you are dealing with requires surgery you won’t have to seek treatment from another doctor. Associates in Colon and Rectal Surgery offers full services right here in Salt Lake City.
Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms, both men and women around the age of 45 should start seeing a colon and rectal surgeon for routine colonoscopies. A colonoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that is used to detect colon cancer. It is still the very best tool that we have at our disposal for detecting colon cancer early and removing polyps and other suspicious growth before they develop into cancer. If your colonoscopy results come back healthy you might not need to get one for another 10 years.
Of course, we also provide other nonsurgical forms of treatment including topical treatments. After all, over-the-counter products are only so effective and if problems such as constipation or diarrhea are affecting you, these products will only alleviate the symptoms not treat the actual problem. While you may choose to treat something minor such as hemorrhoids on your own, if you aren’t experiencing relief it’s time to see us for treatment. After all, untreated problems such as these could lead to inflammation, bleeding and further complications.