How to Get Rid of Hemorrhoids: Treatments That Help

Most hemorrhoids settle with simple measures such as more fiber, more fluids, sitz baths and short-term topical relief, while symptoms that persist or keep returning may respond to office-based procedures or, less often, surgery. This guide explains the usual steps, what recovery generally involves, and how care is planned when treatment is arranged away from home.

How to Get Rid of Hemorrhoids: The Short Answer

For most people, the practical answer to how to get rid of hemorrhoids is a stepwise one. Care usually begins with straightforward, low-risk measures at home — increasing dietary fiber and fluids, avoiding straining and prolonged sitting on the toilet, and using warm sitz baths or short courses of over-the-counter creams or suppositories for comfort. Many flare-ups quiet down within days to a few weeks with these steps alone, especially when the underlying constipation or straining is addressed at the same time.

When symptoms persist despite consistent self-care, or when they keep returning, doctors typically move to office-based procedures. These are brief, generally performed without a hospital stay, and aim to shrink or cut off the blood supply to internal hemorrhoids so they scar down. Surgical removal sits at the far end of the ladder and is reserved for larger, prolapsing or complicated cases.

It is worth being clear about expectations. No treatment guarantees that hemorrhoids will never return, because the veins and cushions in the anal canal are normal anatomy that can swell again under the right conditions. What treatment can realistically offer is relief of current symptoms and a reduction in how often they come back — particularly when combined with lasting changes in bowel habits.

What Is Normal and What Is Not

Hemorrhoidal tissue is present in everyone. It becomes a medical issue only when it swells, bleeds, prolapses or causes discomfort. Occasional mild itching, a small amount of bright red blood on toilet paper after a hard stool, or a temporary feeling of fullness after a bout of constipation is common and often settles by itself.

Some patterns, however, deserve a professional assessment rather than another trip to the pharmacy aisle. These include bleeding that is repeated, heavier, mixed into the stool or dark in color; a lump that will not reduce or is intensely painful; leaking stool or mucus; a persistent change in bowel habit; or unexplained weight loss and fatigue. Anal symptoms have many possible causes, including fissures, abscesses, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer, and several of them can look identical to hemorrhoids from the outside.

This is the single most important safety point in any discussion of hemorrhoids: self-diagnosis is unreliable. A doctor examining the area, and where appropriate looking inside the bowel, is what distinguishes a benign problem from one that needs different treatment altogether. Readers with any of the warning features above should arrange an examination rather than trying to manage symptoms at home indefinitely.

Everyday Measures That Often Work First

Conservative care is not a placeholder while waiting for “real” treatment — it is the treatment for the majority of people, and it remains essential even after a procedure. The aim is to make stool soft and easy to pass so the anal cushions are not repeatedly stretched and engorged.

• Fiber, built up gradually. Fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, supported if needed by a fiber supplement such as psyllium. Increasing too fast can cause bloating, so a slow build-up is usually more comfortable.
• Fluids. Fiber works poorly without adequate water intake.
• Bathroom habits. Responding to the urge promptly, limiting time on the toilet, and avoiding reading or scrolling while seated, which encourages straining and pooling of blood.
• Warm sitz baths. Sitting in a few inches of warm water for around ten to fifteen minutes, often after bowel movements, can relax the anal sphincter and ease spasm.
• Topical relief. Over-the-counter ointments, wipes or suppositories may reduce itching and soreness. Products containing steroids are intended for short-term use only; prolonged application can thin the skin.
• Movement. Regular walking supports bowel regularity; long uninterrupted sitting does the opposite.

A pharmacist or primary care doctor can advise which product is sensible for a given situation. If symptoms have not improved meaningfully after a couple of weeks of consistent effort, that is a reasonable point to seek review rather than continuing indefinitely.

Office-Based Procedures for Persistent Hemorrhoids

When internal hemorrhoids continue to bleed or prolapse, a colorectal specialist or gastroenterologist may suggest an outpatient procedure. These are typically quick, performed in a clinic room or endoscopy suite, and do not usually require general anesthesia.

Rubber band ligation is the most widely used. A small elastic band is placed at the base of an internal hemorrhoid, interrupting its blood supply so the tissue shrinks and falls away over the following days. Patients often describe a dull ache or pressure for a day or two, and a small amount of bleeding as the tissue separates. Sometimes more than one session is needed.

Sclerotherapy involves injecting a solution that causes the hemorrhoid to scar and shrink, and is sometimes preferred for smaller hemorrhoids or for people taking blood-thinning medication, depending on the doctor’s assessment. Infrared coagulation uses controlled heat to achieve a similar scarring effect. Newer options such as hemorrhoidal artery ligation guided by Doppler ultrasound aim to reduce blood flow into the hemorrhoid while causing minimal disturbance to sensitive tissue.

Each of these approaches has its own suitability, benefits and possible complications, including bleeding, discomfort or recurrence. The right choice depends on the grade and location of the hemorrhoids, other health conditions and medications, and patient preference — a conversation best had face to face with the treating specialist.

When Surgery Is Considered

Surgical treatment is generally reserved for large external hemorrhoids, hemorrhoids that prolapse and will not stay reduced, mixed internal-external disease, or cases where office procedures have not delivered lasting relief. It is also considered when a clot has formed in an external hemorrhoid and is causing severe pain, where prompt evacuation of the clot within the first days can help.

Conventional hemorrhoidectomy removes the hemorrhoidal tissue directly. It is the most definitive option and has the lowest recurrence rates, but it also involves the most postoperative discomfort, since the surgical site is in a highly sensitive area that cannot be rested. Recovery periods vary considerably between individuals; the surgical team will explain what to anticipate. Stapled hemorrhoidopexy repositions prolapsed tissue and interrupts its blood supply rather than excising it, and is sometimes associated with less immediate pain, though it is not suitable for every pattern of disease.

Whichever route is chosen, pain management, stool softeners and careful wound hygiene form the backbone of recovery. Patients are usually advised to keep stools soft from the outset, since a hard bowel movement after surgery is both painful and counterproductive. Anyone considering surgery should ask directly about expected recovery, time away from work, risks such as bleeding or difficulty with continence, and the likelihood of symptoms returning.

Planning Treatment Away From Home

Some people arrange hemorrhoid treatment abroad, whether because of waiting times, cost planning or a wish for a second opinion. The practical questions are usually the same: is a procedure genuinely indicated, how long should the trip be, and what happens once the patient flies home?

A sensible sequence starts with sharing existing records — prior examinations, colonoscopy reports if available, current medications and any bleeding history — so a specialist can give an initial view remotely, often by video consultation. That review determines whether a short outpatient visit is realistic or whether the case looks more likely to need surgical treatment with a longer stay. Only an in-person examination on arrival can confirm the final plan, and patients should be wary of any promise of a fixed outcome made before that examination.

Logistics then follow the clinical plan rather than the other way around: appointment scheduling, invitation letters for visa applications where needed, airport transfers, accommodation close to the hospital, medical interpreters, and an indicative cost estimate that makes clear which items are included and which may change once the examination is done. Just as important is the return leg — written discharge instructions, wound care guidance, a point of contact for questions after travel, and a plan for follow-up with a doctor at home. Acibadem Health Point coordinates this process for international patients, connecting them with multidisciplinary specialists across JCI-accredited Acibadem hospitals for assessment and treatment of hemorrhoidal disease.

Preventing Recurrence After Treatment

Procedures address the hemorrhoids that exist today; daily habits determine how likely new ones are to develop. The most reliable long-term protection is a bowel pattern that does not involve straining. That usually means sustained fiber and fluid intake rather than a short-lived effort, regular physical activity, and not postponing the urge to go.

Other contributing factors are worth reviewing with a doctor. Chronic constipation or diarrhea, some medications, heavy lifting technique, prolonged sitting at work or during long journeys, and obesity can all increase pressure in the pelvic and anal veins. Pregnancy is a common and usually temporary trigger, and postpartum symptoms often improve as the bowel settles, though they should still be reviewed if they persist.

People who have had one episode are more likely to have another, so it helps to recognize early signs and restart conservative measures promptly rather than waiting for a full flare. Keeping a simple record of what preceded a flare-up — travel, a change in diet, a period of constipation — can make patterns easier to spot and discuss at a follow-up appointment.

When to See a Doctor

Medical assessment is advisable when symptoms have not improved after two to three weeks of consistent self-care, when they recur frequently, or when they interfere with daily life. It is also the right step for a first episode of rectal bleeding at any age, because the assumption that bleeding is “just hemorrhoids” is one of the more common reasons that other diagnoses are found late.

Urgent care is appropriate for heavy or continuous bleeding, a sudden severely painful lump, fever with anal pain or swelling, dizziness or fainting, or an inability to pass stool or urine. After a procedure or surgery, patients should contact their team about bleeding that soaks through dressings, worsening rather than improving pain, signs of infection, or difficulty controlling gas or stool.

Adults at or above the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening, and those with a family history of bowel disease, should keep their screening up to date regardless of whether hemorrhoids have been diagnosed. Hemorrhoids and other bowel conditions can coexist, and treating one does not rule out the other. Any personal treatment decision should be made with a qualified doctor who has examined the patient.

Frequently asked questions

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.