Haemorrhoids

Also known as: piles, internal haemorrhoids, external haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids, or piles as they are also known, are swellings that are a result of enlarged and distended blood vessels and veins around your anus and rectum.

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What are haemorrhoids?

Haemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in or around your bottom that can cause pain or bleed when you pass stools. You might find you get haemorrhoids if you’re regularly constipated, pregnant, or as you get older.

Haemorrhoids can get better with time, and you can reduce your chances of getting haemorrhoids by drinking more water and eating enough fibre each day.

At The London Clinic, our expert team can help treat your haemorrhoids with non-surgical or surgical options.

You can choose from non-surgical haemorrhoids treatments such as medication, banding and injections.

If your haemorrhoids need surgical treatment, we offer Rafaelo, haemorrhoidectomy, stapling or HALO.

By choosing The London Clinic for your haemorrhoid treatment, you’ll have a complete care plan tailored to you, from start to finish.

Our expert teams will work together to give you a seamless, hassle-free experience with any tests, scans and treatments you need all under one roof.

We work with all major private medical insurance providers in the UK. Many of our treatments are available as all-inclusive package prices if you’re paying for yourself.

Be in control of your health. Start your haemorrhoids treatment journey with The London Clinic today.

Haemorrhoids symptoms

Sometimes haemorrhoids symptoms can be mild, and you won’t even notice you have them. But you might find haemorrhoids affect your day to day life.

You may need haemorrhoids treatment if you have these symptoms:

  • Bright red blood when you go to the toilet
  • A sore, itchy or swollen anus
  • Thick jelly-like mucus after you pass a stool
  • Swollen lumps of blood vessels inside or outside your rectum
  • Haemorrhoids causes

Many factors can cause haemorrhoids, and you should get advice from a doctor if they don’t go away on their own.

You’re more likely to get haemorrhoids if you:

  • Try to push hard or strain when you pass stool or are constipated, especially for a long time
  • Avoid the urge to go to the toilet when you need to
  • Don’t drink enough water or eat enough fibre each day, from foods like vegetables or whole grains
  • Are pregnant
  • Are over 50 years old
  • Lift heavy objects regularly
  • Have someone in your family who has haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids complications

You may need treatment if you start to get side effects or complications from having haemorrhoids.

Our haemorrhoids treatment service at The London Clinic can help if you:

  • Are experiencing any level of pain from your haemorrhoids
  • Find it uncomfortable or hard to sit down, even on soft surfaces
  • Are avoiding going to the toilet
  • Are bleeding regularly after going to the toilet
  • Have seen no improvement after drinking more water and eating more fibre
  • Have tried using medication you’ve bought from a pharmacy or otherwise
  • Cannot enjoy your life as normal because of your haemorrhoids

Lifestyle changes to treat haemorrhoids

You can make easy and practical lifestyle changes to help treat haemorrhoids such as:

  • Making sure you go to the toilet as soon as you feel the urge to go
  • Drinking enough water to help with bowel movements
  • Eating at least 30g of fibre each day from fresh or dried fruit, vegetables, beans and whole grains
  • Waiting after giving birth for haemorrhoids to go away naturally

If these lifestyle changes do not help improve your haemorrhoids, your next step is to try non-surgical or surgical haemorrhoids treatments.

We can guide you through the process of picking a haemorrhoids treatment option that’s right for you at The London Clinic.

  • Non-surgical haemorrhoids treatment
  • You might not need surgery straight away to treat your haemorrhoids if they are mild.

At The London Clinic, you can try non-surgical haemorrhoids treatments, including:

  • Medication, such as creams and suppositories to relieve haemorrhoid pain
  • Banding, to cut off blood supply to haemorrhoids and shrink them
  • Injections to block the blood supply to haemorrhoids and reduce their size

Surgical haemorrhoids treatment

Surgical haemorrhoids treatment is your next option if your haemorrhoids negatively affect how you live and they’re very painful or uncomfortable.

We offer these surgical haemorrhoids treatments and tailor them to your needs:

  • Rafaelo
  • Haemorrhoidectomy
  • Stapling
  • HALO (haemorrhoidal artery ligation operation), also known as THD (transanal haemorrhoidal dearterialisation)

Surgical haemorrhoids treatments require local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic, and you can often go home the same day.

Why choose The London Clinic?

Why choose The London Clinic?

Trusted for over 90 years, The London Clinic is an independent charitable hospital that reinvests into care, research, and support for those who can’t easily access private treatment.

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