You can get help for these uncomfortable symptoms. Let us explain how.
Often enlarged hemorrhoids are the trigger. However, incorrect hygiene in the genital area can also be responsible for this.
Itching: Soap and damp toilet paper can irritate the anus
“Incorrect hygiene” does not mean that someone has not cleaned their buttocks thoroughly enough. Too much need for cleanliness can also be harmful. According to Professor Alexander Herold and the Secretary General of the German Coloproctology Society. “Soaps or shower gels can contain chemicals that irritate the anus”
Too much scrubbing or rough toilet paper can also damage the sensitive areas of the skin on the buttocks and cause itching. “Be careful also with damp toilet paper,” says Herold. In some people, the skin becomes irritated.
What to do if the skin on the anus is burning.
If it is just a wrong cleaning, the complaints can be brought under control with simple behavioral changes. It’s best to try out what helps – one type can tolerate one type of damp toilet paper, the other cannot.
Tips for anal hygiene
- Wipe the anal area dry first after defecation. Then clean with water so that no residues remain on the hair. “A bidet is ideal for this,” says Herold. Alternatively, briefly moisten toilet paper with water. Then gently pat dry. Avoid using soaps or damp toilet paper.
- The toilet paper shouldn’t be too rough and hard. Printed toilet paper can contain substances that are irritating to the skin. So better do without the flower pattern and buy the simple variant.
Sweat combined with stool residues can also irritate the skin. Cotton underwear can alleviate the problem: it absorbs moisture better and thus prevents a damp environment from developing. - Maintain an irritated anus with a zinc-based cream or ointment.
Have permanent complaints clarified by your Colon Hydrotherapist
If you take these tips to heart, the itching and burning sensation should be gone after about two weeks. If not, it’s time to see your naturopath. Because then the probability is high that the complaints in the anal area have a chronic cause. Often it is hemorrhoids that cause problems, or fistulas or other inflammation. In rare cases, diseases of the colon are behind it.
What are hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids are cushions of blood vessels at the end of the intestine that are well supplied with blood; everyone has them. Together with the sphincter muscle, they ensure that the anus is tight. As the intestines relax in the toilet, the blood withdraws from them, they get smaller and give way to stool. Then they swell up again and seal the anus.
How do you know they’re causing problems?
The cushions are enlarged and no longer pull together as well. “The classic first symptom is blood on the anus,” says Andreas Joos from the Colon Center in Mannheim. “It can also be itchy, oozing or burning.” However, since these can also be symptoms of more serious illnesses, the doctor must always rule out other causes. “Pain, on the other hand, is not a typical sign because the hemorrhoid itself has no nerve fibers,” says Joos. If it does hurt, a concomitant symptom is probably to blame: an inflamed and irritated mucous membrane on the bottom or eczema, for example.
Around one in three adults will struggle with enlarged hemorrhoids in their lifetime. The good news: they’re annoying, but not dangerous. In addition to a visit to the doctor, pharmacists usually advise their customers to use ointments or hip baths with anti-inflammatory ingredients such as witch hazel or bismuth gallate. Depending on the degree of severity, locally lightly anesthetic suppositories or ointments are also recommended.
Here’s what you can do to prevent hemorrhoids
- Don’t go to the bathroom until you really have to.
- Do not sit in the toilet for too long and press, then the connective tissue wears out. Limit the session to about three to five minutes.
- Eat high in fiber – such as whole grain products. This ensures good digestion and prevents constipation, which in turn encourages hemorrhoids. Psyllium husks are an additional source of fiber. Please drink enough!
Early treatment is worth it
Does the hemorrhoid evert itself when pressing on the toilet, but slip back into the intestine on its own after a bowel movement? Then it is an incipient hemorrhage disease. If, on the other hand, you have to nudge them back with your finger or if they stay outside the intestine permanently, the hemorrhoid is already greatly enlarged.
See a doctor as soon as possible! In the event of complaints, the family doctor is the first point of contact and can refer you to a gastroenterologist or proctologist. Those who receive the same treatment can usually avoid an operation. The basis of success: a digestive-friendly diet and the right habits during the session.
If the hemorrhoids no longer slide back into the intestines by themselves, new habits in the toilet are not enough. Joos then also advises sclerotherapy. To do this, the proctologist injects an agent into the hemorrhoidal node, which shrinks the sore tissue.
For larger hemorrhoids, Joos recommends a method in which the doctor constricts the hemorrhoids with a rubber band. After about a week, the dead tissue is removed with the tape. “But that is more invasive than desertification,” says Joos. About one percent of patients experience bleeding, which may need to be stopped in hospital. Nevertheless: “The procedure can be uncomfortable, but for most it is unproblematic.”
Depending on the severity of your hemorrhoids, colonics might not be possible. But you could have definitely medicated enemas or implants to help reduce hemorrhoids. Ask us.
