According to the Mayo Clinic, hemorrhoids are painful swollen veins in the lower part of your rectum (last portion of your large intestine) or anus (opening where fecal contents emerge). Internal hemorrhoids affect your rectum, while external hemorrhoids affect the skin near your anus. Symptoms include swelling, itching, painless bleeding and a lump near your anus. There are specific steps on how to treat a hemorrhoid.
Step 1
Go to your family doctor when you have symptoms of hemorrhoids. He will determine whether over-the-counter treatments are enough or whether surgical treatments are necessary.
Step 2
Bathe or shower every day to clean your anal area with warm water. Do not use soap, as this can irritate the skin around your anus.
Step 3
Use a hair dryer to dry your anal region, because moisture can lead to further irritation.
Step 4
Place the plastic sitz bath over the toilet and fill with warm water. Submerge your anal region into the sitz bath as instructed on the package.
Step 5
Apply over-the-counter hemorrhoid cream to decrease the inflammation around your anus. Apply this cream as your doctor recommends.
Step 6
Take over-the-counter pain medication to control your pain.
Step 7
Go to your doctor and schedule a rubber band ligation, injection or coagulation therapy. The type of procedure performed depends on the severity of your hemorrhoids.
A rubber band ligation involves placing one or two rubber bands along the lower portion of your internal hemorrhoid. This decreases its blood supply and the hemorrhoid disintegrates after a few days.
Injection, also known as sclerotherapy, involves injecting a chemical into the hemorrhoid to shrink it.
Coagulation involves using a laser or heat to shrink the hemorrhoids.
Step 8
Go to your surgeon and schedule a hemorrhoidectomy (hemorrhoid removal) or stapling procedure if the procedures described in Step 7 do not work. A hemorrhoidectomy is the most effective treatment but carries a high risk for infection. The stapling procedure involves stopping blood flow to the hemorrhoid and is less painful than a hemorrhoidectomy.
Things You'll Need
- Over-the-counter hemorrhoid cream
- Plastic sitz bath
- Over-the-counter pain medications
- Hair dryer
