External Hemorrhoids

The other name for hemorrhoids is piles and it is a pretty common condition that strikes most men and half of the women who get pregnant every year. There are two types of hemorrhoids – internal hemorrhoids and external hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids hardly ever cause any pain. But the case is not so with external hemorrhoids.

External hemorrhoids can cause a lot of pain simply because the skin around the anus, through the mouth or opening of which stool passes out, is very sensitive.
There may be a soft or hard lump near the anal opening formed by a blood clot or swelling of vein.

There is the possibility of rupturing the external hemorrhoid, bursting the blood vessels and discharging a bit of blood. That is why, when you rub toilet paper in that region, the condition gets aggravated and you notice bright red blood on your toilet paper or your stool covered with blood or blood in the toilet bowl.

In very rare cases, if the external hemorrhoid ruptures, i.e., the blood vessel inside gets ruptured, the blood will continue to collect under the skin and as a result a painful hard lump will be formed. When the case is like this, doctors refer to it as clotted or thrombosed hemorrhoid.

Symptoms of piles or external hemorrhoids

Some of the symptoms of external hemorrhoids will be itching, a desire to scratch, irritation and a burning sensation in that area. Along with these, there will be difficulty in passing stool which will aggravate the condition. There will be severe swelling and extreme pain and discomfort. Often you will notice that the sensitive region round the anal opening will sport a lump, either soft or hard. It may be tinted in purple or blue.

Treatment of external hemorrhoid

There are a host of medical treatments available for external hemorrhoids like sitz bath, tub bath, rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy, hemorrhoidectomy etc which can effectively cure hemorrhoid, drive away the symptoms and provide complete relief in a short period of time. Along with these, you have to switch over to a fibrous diet, and consume lots of fluid including water.