Many people who have hemorrhoids find relief from symptoms through home treatment. See the Home Treatment section of this topic for more information. If medical treatment is necessary, fixative procedures are the most widely used nonsurgical treatments. These procedures are most successful if you have small hemorrhoids.

Other Treatment Choices

Fixative procedures include:

• Rubber band ligation, a procedure in which the hemorrhoid is tied off at its base with rubber bands, cutting off the blood flow so that the hemorrhoid shrinks and dies and, in about a week, falls off.
• Coagulation with light (infrared photocoagulation), lasers, or electricity, which creates scar tissue, cutting off the blood supply to the hemorrhoid so that it shrinks and dies.

Rarely used procedures include:

• Injection sclerotherapy.
• Cryotherapy.
• Anal dilation.

What To Think About

Not all doctors have the experience or the equipment to perform all types of fixative procedures. This may help you decide which procedure to choose. Ask your doctor which procedure he or she does the most and how satisfied people have been with the outcomes of that procedure.

See the Home Treatment section of this topic for tips on keeping hemorrhoids from becoming worse or recurring after treatment.

Which treatment for hemorrhoids is right for me?