11 Things Every Woman Needs To Know About Hemorrhoids
You’ve cringed at the embarrassing ads, but you can probably save face at the pharmacy by avoiding over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams. “Most patients don’t find them that helpful,” Grucela says. If you’re looking for quick symptom relief, draw yourself a warm bath, she says. Soaking the area can help soothe some irritation. Wiping with witch hazel may also help, she says.
In rare instances, serious hemorrhoids may need to be removed. Doctors use a number of different techniques to do so, including ligation (which uses rubber bands to essentially “choke” a hemorrhoid until it falls off), stapling, infrared light treatment, and, as a last resort, surgery. “The surgery is simple, but the recovery is miserable,” Grucela says. “Before we go down that road, we make sure we’ve maximized every other option.”