Hemorrhoids are sagging swelling bodies around the anus, which can cause pain and itching for nuisance complaints. Pain is often temporary, but the itch can stay on for a very long time. How does this itch arise and what is the best treatment for itching caused by hemorrhoids? It is important to prevent hemorrhoids: fiber-rich food and not pressing too hard can help. But if there are hemorrhoids once, treatment is sometimes necessary.
What are hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are weak spots in the blood vessels. These blood vessels swell. The annoying thing is that in hemorrhoids the swollen blood vessels are located near the anus. Here a lot of pressure is exerted during the bowel movement, causing the hemorrhoids to swell even more.
Hemorrhoids can occur spontaneously, but also due to excess pressure or hormones such as pregnancy, there may be a weakening of the blood vessels. The spontaneous development of hemorrhoids is usually a result of wrong food with too few fiber substances. This makes the stool too hard and too thick, which gives too much pressure on the blood vessels during bowel movements.
Why hemorrhoids itch
The two main complaints of hemorrhoids are pain and itching. Hemorrhoids that get pinched often cause a painful feeling. It is also possible that some blood loss occurs during and after the bowel movement, because the mucous membrane of the hemorrhoids is vulnerable.
A very annoying complaint is the itching caused by hemorrhoids. Itching is caused by two factors. Firstly, it may happen that some intestinal mucus or very loose stools leak through the sphincter, as a result of hemorrhoids. The intestinal mucus or the stool irritates the skin, which gives it an itchy feeling. Secondly, itching can occur because the sphincter and the skin become irritated by blood loss from the hemorrhoids or by pressure from the hemorrhoids.
In both cases there is a nuisance itching, often during and immediately after bowel movements. This itching can continue for a longer period of time. But also the itching can suddenly set up without bowel movements.
How to deal with this itch?
Itching evokes a reaction with us: scratching. Well the unabashed scratching on our buttocks is not something that is always possible. In addition, the skin can be damaged and irritated even more by scratching.
Often the skin and sphincter muscle will be irritated by blood loss, intestinal mucus or loose stools on the skin. The best is therefore to use a moist paper. Do not use moist toilet paper with perfume: this can irritate the skin even more. A toilet paper that has been wetted with water also works well. Gently dab the skin with the wet paper. The cold paper will often also calm the skin. If necessary, use a good ointment that cares for the skin. Here too it is important not to use a perfume-containing ointment. Vaseline or zinc ointment is excellent.
Another way to combat the itch is to use a special hemorrhoid cream. This ointment works analgesic and itchy. Use the ointment according to the doctor’s prescription.