Hemorrhoids are irritating and occasionally awful, but that doesn’t mean they must be chronic. The first strategies to deal with hemorrhoids include dietary changes, sitz baths, and topical applications.
Sadly these behavioral measures don’t always do the trick, which is your cue to move up the ladder into a more aggressive response. Hemorrhoids can be cleared or removed using a variety of non-surgical techniques; each is suited to a particular type of presentation, etiology and history. The following is a quick rundown of the Big Three Hemorrhoid treatments. Clip and save!
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is exactly what it sounds like. A sclerosing (scarring) solution is injecting painlessly into the hemorrhoids, causing them to harden, where they can be treated with minimal scarring or discomfort. For moderate hemorrhoids, this is one of the fastest routes to relief.
Infrared Coagulation
IR coagulation is a different approach, defined by the use of an infrared light beam to “burn away” the hemorrhoids. Because this technique is only used above the dentate line, you feel no pain during the actual coagulation process as the hemorrhoids vanish.
Hemorrhoid Banding
Banding, or rubber band ligation, involves small rubber bands which are precisely placed over the base of individual hemorrhoids, causing them to “die” and fall off. Although the technique is a bit slower, it’s extremely safe and effective, and involves no immediate tissue injury, which some prefer.
Hemorrhoid Surgery (Hemorrhoidectomy)
If hemorrhoids are severe and these methods would be deemed ineffective, then surgery may be the only option. There are several types of surgical treatments available to treat internal hemorrhoids, called an internal hemorrhoidectomy. A traditional internal hemorrhoidectomy involves the surgical excision of the internal hemorrhoid with suturing. Other procedures such as a THD hemorrhoidectomy allows for the ligation of arteries surrounding the internal hemorrhoids followed by a “pexy” or pulling up of the internal hemorrhoidal tissue.
Treating hemorrhoids in Los Angeles shouldn’t have to feel complicated or painful. If you want to address this issue head-on, contact the Proctology Institute for an appointment with the best hemorrhoid doctors in LA.
