And so my journey into the use of laser in proctology has now begun in earnest. As a community of colorectal surgeons in the UK we have seen an increase in new technology over the last few years. This is driven by the difficult journey we see by our patients when undergoing surgery such as haemorrhoidectomy. We know that the anus is a special place in the body and wounds in this are can take weeks to months to heal fully.

Sometimes traditional surgery is the right approach and the one most likely to be successful…

But what about a half way approach….what about a technique that could work ‘well enough’ without all of the painful wounds and long recovery times? In my own clinic I have opted to stick to traditional methods that have a strong evidence base. I am delighted with the outcomes. We have now successfully treated 1000 patients in the McCarthy Clinic and I am happy to report that this local anaesthetic office surgery approach is well tolerated by patients with successful outcomes. The reviews on the testimonials page will give you a full run down on what to expect with this type of surgery.

I have seen and treated patients who have tried ‘newer’ surgical techniques mainly for treatment of haemorrhoids. I have been disheartened by this particular problem as haemorrhroids that have been treated with these techniques can then be harder to remove surgically. I have seen how disappointing this can be for patients. I was reluctant to adopt these new technologies as a result.

But I have wanted to offer a solution to patients who want to return to normal activities quicker, avoid painful open wounds on the anus and are willing to a accept a slightly suboptimal result in the process. I decided that the new technology I would invest my time and effort into learning would be laser proctology. I have been impressed with this new technology that is booming in countries outside the UK.

The basis of my excitement about this technique is that the technology is aimed at stimulating tissue growth in the anus for conditions where the body finds this difficult to achieve – chronic anal fissure, recurrent haemorrhoids, anal fistula and pilonidal disease. All of these conditions can cause recurrent problems for affected people and traditional surgery for these conditions can lead to lots of time out of action and a high chance of recurrence.

Laser treatment, specifically a red diode laser, can be used in a minimally invasive way to treat all of these conditions. The hope is that treatment will be successful without the painful anal wounds.

I am excited to share that I will be attending the PROCTOCOM 2026 laser course in June, run by the International Society of Laser Proctology.

I will report back with regular updates on #mylaserjourney