Most hemorrhoids can be fixed at home with simple changes to your diet, bathroom habits, and daily routine. Mild to moderate symptoms typically improve within a few weeks using conservative treatments, while more severe or persistent cases may need an in-office procedure or surgery. The right approach depends on whether your hemorrhoids are internal or external and how much they’re affecting your life.
Know What You’re Dealing With
Internal hemorrhoids sit inside the rectum where you can’t see or feel them. Their main symptom is painless bleeding, usually bright red blood on toilet paper or in the bowl. Sometimes an internal hemorrhoid pushes through the anal opening (called prolapse), which causes pain and irritation. If the blood supply to a prolapsed hemorrhoid gets cut off, it becomes what’s called a strangulated hemorrhoid, which causes severe pain and needs prompt medical attention.
External hemorrhoids form under the skin around the anus. They tend to cause itching, swelling, and discomfort rather than bleeding. When a blood clot forms inside an external hemorrhoid (a thrombosed hemorrhoid), it creates a hard, painful lump that can take several weeks to resolve on its own.
Start With Fiber
Increasing your fiber intake is the single most effective first step. Fiber softens stool and adds bulk, which means less straining during bowel movements. Straining is the primary driver of hemorrhoid symptoms for most people. A large review of clinical trials found that fiber supplements cut the risk of persistent or worsening symptoms nearly in half and reduced bleeding by 50%.
The recommended daily intake is about 14 grams per 1,000 calories you eat, which works out to roughly 28 grams for women and 34 to 38 grams for men. Most people fall well short of this. Good sources include beans, lentils, whole grains, berries, broccoli, and pears. If you can’t get enough through food alone, a fiber supplement can close the gap. Increase fiber gradually over a week or two to avoid bloating and gas, and drink plenty of water alongside it.
Fix Your Bathroom Habits
How you use the toilet matters as much as what you eat. Gastroenterologists use a simple framework for healthy bowel habits: aim for about three minutes per session, go once daily, avoid straining, and keep your phone out of the bathroom. Spending excessive time sitting on the toilet, whether scrolling your phone or reading, puts prolonged pressure on the veins around your anus and makes hemorrhoids worse.
Your posture on the toilet also plays a role. Squatting straightens the angle between the rectum and anal canal by relaxing a key pelvic floor muscle that normally kinks the rectum to maintain continence. It also allows your thighs to compress the colon, helping move stool through more efficiently. You don’t need a squat toilet to get this benefit. A small footstool that raises your knees above your hips mimics the squatting position and can make bowel movements easier and faster.
Sitz Baths and Topical Relief
A sitz bath, which is simply sitting in a few inches of warm water, relieves pain, itching, and swelling. Use water around 104°F (40°C) and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Three to four baths per day provides the most relief during a flare-up. You can use a small basin that fits over your toilet seat or just fill a bathtub with a few inches of water.
Over-the-counter hemorrhoid ointments temporarily shrink swollen tissue and coat the irritated area to make bowel movements less painful. Most contain a combination of protectants (like petrolatum) that form a barrier over inflamed skin, plus an ingredient that constricts blood vessels to reduce swelling. These products manage symptoms but don’t fix the underlying problem. Hydrocortisone creams reduce itching and inflammation but shouldn’t be used for more than a week without guidance, as prolonged use can thin the skin.
Cleaning the area with water after bowel movements, ideally with a bidet or a gentle rinse, is better than wiping with dry toilet paper, which can irritate swollen tissue further.
In-Office Procedures for Stubborn Cases
When home treatments aren’t enough, rubber band ligation is the most common next step for internal hemorrhoids. A doctor places a small rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply. The tissue shrivels and falls off within about a week. Studies find the procedure is 70% to 80% effective. Recovery is usually quick, with most people returning to normal activities the same day or within a day or two. If it doesn’t work, or if symptoms return, repeating the procedure or trying a different approach can improve results.
Other office-based options include injecting a chemical solution into the hemorrhoid to shrink it (sclerotherapy) and using heat or infrared light to cut off blood flow to the tissue. These are generally reserved for smaller internal hemorrhoids.
When Surgery Becomes the Best Option
For large, severely prolapsed, or frequently recurring hemorrhoids, surgical removal (hemorrhoidectomy) is the most effective treatment with the lowest recurrence rates. The trade-off is that it causes more pain during recovery than less invasive methods.
A newer alternative called hemorrhoidopexy uses a stapling device to reposition prolapsed tissue back into place rather than removing it entirely. Many people experience less pain afterward and return to light activities sooner than with traditional surgery. Your surgeon can help determine which approach fits your situation based on the size and severity of your hemorrhoids.
Preventing Them From Coming Back
Treatment only solves half the problem. In most cases, the primary cause of hemorrhoids is lifestyle, and unless you change the habits that created them, symptoms are likely to return. The fiber and bathroom habit changes described above aren’t just treatments; they’re the long-term prevention strategy.
Beyond diet and toilet habits, staying physically active, avoiding prolonged sitting (at a desk or anywhere else), and maintaining a healthy weight all reduce pressure on the veins in and around the rectum. If you do heavy lifting, exhale during the effort rather than holding your breath and bearing down, which spikes abdominal pressure the same way straining on the toilet does.
Any rectal bleeding deserves attention, even when you’re fairly sure it’s hemorrhoids. Heavy bleeding that doesn’t stop, bleeding accompanied by dizziness or fatigue, unexplained weight loss, or a change in bowel habits are reasons to get evaluated promptly, as these symptoms can overlap with more serious conditions that a doctor can rule out with an exam or colonoscopy.