How to Treat Hemorrhoids or Piles

How to Treat Hemorrhoids or Piles

Piles or hemorrhoids are painful but usually resolve within a few days. Since hemorrhoids can recur, it is better to know these hemorrhoid treatments to reduce itching and discomfort.

1. Self-care when changing your diet

Constipation is a major cause of hemorrhoids and can be controlled and prevented by keeping stools soft and regular. Include fruits, vegetables, cereals, and whole-grain breads in your diet to increase your fiber intake.

Drink as much water as possible and avoid or limit your caffeine intake.

Avoid passing stool as this will only make your hemorrhoids worse. If you are constipated, taking laxatives will help empty your bowels.

After a bowel movement, use damp toilet paper or baby wipes to pat dry, and do not rub your butt instead of dry toilet paper.

When you feel the need to have a bowel movement, do not hold on or wait for the urge to subside. It hardens the stool, which makes the hemorrhoids even more inflamed.

A warm bath relieves pain and increases blood flow to reduce the size of swollen veins. If you can't take a full bath, sit in about 3 inches of warm water for at least a few minutes a day, especially after a bowel movement.

2. Medicine

There are various over-the-counter medications such as creams, ointments, and suppositories that you can apply to your butt to relieve piles. Use only for 5-7 days at a time as prolonged use can irritate sensitive anal skin. Do not use more than one product at a time.

Corticosteroid cream, which contains steroids, can treat severe inflammation in and around your butt. Do not use it for more than a week as it may thin the skin around your anus and worsen irritation.

While common painkillers like acetaminophen relieve hemorrhoid pain, avoid codeine painkillers as they can cause constipation. Local anesthetic products are effective hemorrhoid treatments. Just use them for a few days as the skin around your anus is quite sensitive.

3. Non-surgical pile treatments

Banding and sclerotherapy are recommended if the hemorrhoids develop above the dental line. Tying involves tying an elastic band tightly around the base of the hemorrhoid to cut off the blood supply. The hemorrhoids then fall off within a week.

This is a day procedure without anesthesia that allows you to return to your normal activities the next day. There may be pain and discomfort for a day or two, which can be relieved with regular painkillers.

You will not know when the hemorrhoids will fall off when you go to the toilet, which will be indicated by mucous discharge within a week after the procedure. While some blood on the toilet paper after a bowel movement is normal, excessive bleeding should not occur. If yes, consult your doctor immediately.

Sclerotherapy involves injecting a chemical solution into the blood vessels of the anal passage to relieve pain by numbing the nerve endings. The injection hardens the hemorrhoid tissue into a scar that shrinks after 4-6 weeks.

It is better not to do strenuous exercise for a day after the injection. While there may be some pain and bleeding, you can resume normal activities and work one day after the injection.

4. Infrared coagulation

This involves using infrared light to burn the hemorrhoid tissue and cut off its blood supply. The procedure can also be performed using electrical current and is called diathermy or electrotherapy.

5. Surgery

10% of cases may require surgery to treat piles. The operation is performed under anesthesia on hemorrhoids that have developed below the tooth line. Although various surgical options are available, the hemorrhoids usually need to be removed or their blood supply reduced and made smaller.

One or more of these pile treatment options can provide relief and help with the pain, discomfort, and swelling associated with hemorrhoids. If home care and over-the-counter treatments don't work, ask your doctor about your surgical options.

Inspired by Eve Linsey