Home Treatment

• There are several things you can do at home to provide relief from hemorrhoids. To start, try taking a warm bath several times a day. And when you bathe, make sure to rinse the anal area well, but keep in mind that soap can irritate hemorrhoids. Also, after bathing, make sure to thoroughly dry the area. One good tip is to use a hair dryer on low to make sure the area is completely dry. If your hemorrhoids are swollen and painful, you can apply ice packs or cold compresses to the area for some relief. And because hemorrhoids can be irritated by dry toilet paper, try using wet toilet paper or perfume-free moist towelettes.
  
  

Medications

• Several products are available to help relieve the bothersome symptoms of hemorrhoids. These medications are available in many forms, including suppositories, pads, ointments and creams, and contain ingredients such as hydrocortisone and witch hazel to treat itching and pain. These products are typically safe, but do not use them for more than a week without consulting with a doctor because long-term use can cause side effects such as a rash or skin thinning. If your hemorrhoids are painful, you can try an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin.
  
  

Medical Procedures

• If your hemorrhoids are very painful or cause a lot of bleeding, your doctor may recommend a procedure to remove them. Several minimally invasive procedures can be performed, including rubber band ligation, which involves cutting off circulation to the hemorrhoids, and coagulation, which consists of using laser or infrared light to shrivel the tissue. In some cases, your doctor may also recommend undergoing surgery, called a hemorrhoidectomy, to remove the hemorrhoids. Surgery is very effective at treating hemorrhoid and preventing them from returning, but because of the risk of complications, it is typically used when other treatments have not been successful.