How to Use Hemorrhoid Cream the Right Way, and What It Can't Do

To use hemorrhoid cream, wash your hands, clean and pat dry the area, then spread a thin layer on the outside with a fingertip, or use the applicator for inside, as often as the label says. It's one of the simplest tools for hemorrhoid relief, and if a week of it doesn't help, it's time to see your doctor.

You probably own a tube already. Maybe two. It calms things down, and a few months later you reach for it again. Here's the thing. A cream works best when you use it the right way and know what it's made for.

Everyone has hemorrhoidal cushions, soft pads of vessels and collagen inside the opening. Harvard Health explains that the tissue holding them in place can weaken with age, so they bulge and slide down. A cream works on the skin at the opening and just inside it.

How to apply hemorrhoid cream, step by step

1. Go to the bathroom first if you can, so the cream stays in place longer.
2. Clean the area gently with warm water. Pat it dry. Don't rub.
3. Wash your hands.
4. Put a small amount on a clean fingertip or a cotton pad.
5. Spread a thin layer right on the sore, swollen spot and the skin around the opening.
6. Wash your hands again.

Thin beats thick. Use one hemorrhoid product at a time, and don't put cream on open or raw skin unless your doctor says so.

How often to apply hemorrhoid cream

Follow the label. Most over the counter creams can be used a few times a day, often morning, bedtime and after each bowel movement. More isn't better. If you're still reaching for it every day after a week, stop and call your doctor. Cleveland Clinic says to get checked if things don't improve after a week, or sooner if you see heavy bleeding.

Hemorrhoid cream applicator tip

The applicator is the small plastic nozzle that screws onto the tube. It's for cream that needs to reach just inside. Put a little cream on the tip first so it slides in easily. Insert it gently, never past its base, and squeeze slowly. Afterward, wash it with warm soapy water and let it dry. Keep it for your own use only.

Using cream for internal hemorrhoids

Internal hemorrhoids sit past the tight ring of muscle you squeeze to hold in a bowel movement. Lie on your side, top knee bent, and relax. Slide the greased applicator just past that ring, squeeze, and stay still a few minutes.

How to use hemorrhoid suppositories

A suppository is a small, bullet shaped dose of medicine that melts at body temperature. It's made for internal hemorrhoids, where a cream can't easily spread. Store it somewhere cool so it stays firm, and use it after a bowel movement when you can. Check the label: some suppositories carry a numbing agent or a steroid, which means the same time limits as a cream.

How to insert a hemorrhoid suppository

Wash your hands and unwrap the suppository. If it feels soft, put it in the fridge for a few minutes. Lie on your side with your top knee bent. Push it in pointed end first, just past the muscle ring, using a fingertip. Hold still for a few minutes so it doesn't slip out, then wash your hands. A little moisture on the tip makes it easier.

How to treat internal hemorrhoids at home

Home care for internal hemorrhoids is mostly about the stool, not the cream. Soft, easy bowel movements, more fiber, more water, no straining and no long sitting on the toilet. The NIH page on hemorrhoid treatment adds over the counter creams, suppositories and warm baths for mild symptoms. If you see blood, or home care hasn't helped, see your doctor.

What's in hemorrhoid cream

Hemorrhoid cream ingredients

Most creams mix a few types of ingredients. A protectant, like petrolatum, glycerin or zinc oxide, forms a barrier over sore skin. A numbing agent, like lidocaine or pramoxine, dulls pain and itching. A vessel tightener, like phenylephrine, brings swelling down for a few hours. A steroid, like hydrocortisone, calms itching and redness. Some add witch hazel. Read the active ingredients box. It tells you what the tube really does.

Cortisone cream for hemorrhoids

Hydrocortisone calms itching and swelling, and MedlinePlus lists over the counter corticosteroid creams among the usual home options. It's meant for short use. A colon and rectal specialist in Los Angeles warns in a short video that "using the hydrocortisone too long can weaken the skin," change its color and leave it easy to crack and tear. Ask your doctor how long to use it.

Hemorrhoid cream with lidocaine by prescription

Lidocaine is a numbing medicine. Lower strengths are sold over the counter, and your doctor can prescribe stronger ones, sometimes mixed with a steroid. They help you get through painful bowel movements during a bad flare. They don't bring swelling down. Numbing can also hide pain that's telling you something, so a prescription strength cream comes with a plan and an end date from your doctor.

Prescription hemorrhoid cream

When store creams don't help, a doctor can prescribe stronger options: higher strength steroids, stronger numbing creams, or medicines that relax the muscle, which are often used for a small tear called a fissure. That's an important point. Pain you blame on hemorrhoids is sometimes something else. A short exam tells you what you're dealing with, and then you get the right cream for it.

Is hemorrhoid cream good

For what it's made to do, yes. A good cream can calm itching, ease burning and make a bad few days bearable. It's meant for short use during a flare. If you find yourself needing it often, that's worth a talk with your doctor.

Other things people put on hemorrhoids

Petroleum jelly for hemorrhoids

Plain petroleum jelly is a simple protectant. It doesn't contain medicine, but it puts a smooth barrier over sore skin, so wiping and passing stool hurt less. A small dab on the outside before a bowel movement helps some people. It's cheap, gentle and fine for most skin. Just keep it on the outside, keep the layer thin, and wash your hands before and after.

Antibiotic ointment on hemorrhoids

People reach for the antibiotic ointment in the medicine cabinet because it's there. Hemorrhoids aren't an infection, so an antibiotic has nothing to work on. Its base can soften the skin a little, but a plain protectant does the same without the antibiotic. Some people also react to these ointments with a rash. If you think the area is infected, with heat, fever or pus, see your doctor.

Aloe vera for hemorrhoids

Aloe vera gel feels cool and soothing, which is why people try it on irritated skin. There isn't solid research on aloe for hemorrhoids. If you use it, choose a pure gel without alcohol or fragrance, which can sting. Test a little on your arm first to check for a reaction. Think of it as a comfort step, not a remedy.

Is witch hazel good for hemorrhoids

Witch hazel is a plant extract that tightens the skin a little and feels cool. MedlinePlus notes it can help with itching when you dab it on with cotton pads. It's gentle and cheap, and it's in many medicated pads. It's a simple comfort tool during a flare.

How to make witch hazel pads

Fold a few cotton rounds into a clean glass jar. Pour in plain witch hazel, alcohol free if you can find it, just until the pads are damp. Close the lid and keep the jar in the fridge for a cooler feel. Use one pad to dab the area after a bowel movement, then throw it away. Make a fresh batch every week or so.

How to make your own hemorrhoid wipes

Dry toilet paper is rough on swollen skin. A simple homemade wipe is soft, unscented paper or cotton pads, lightly wet with plain water or a little alcohol free witch hazel. Skip scented wipes and anything with alcohol, which can sting and dry the skin. Pat, don't scrub. Then pat the area dry, because skin that stays damp gets itchy.

Sitz baths

Sitz bath

A sitz bath is a short soak in a few inches of warm water that covers only your hips and bottom. You can use your bathtub or a small plastic basin that fits on the toilet seat. Warm water relaxes the muscle, eases spasms and cleans the area gently. It's one of the home steps doctors suggest most often, and it costs almost nothing.

Seat bath for hemorrhoids

A seat bath is just another name for a sitz bath. The word sitz comes from German and means to sit. Whatever you call it, it works the same way: warm water on the sore area, a few times a day during a flare, especially after a bowel movement. It's simple comfort, and it pairs well with a thin layer of cream afterward.

What to put in a sitz bath

Plain warm water does most of the work. Some people add Epsom salt or a little baking soda because it feels soothing. Skip bubble bath, scented oils and soap, which can irritate the skin. The water should feel comfortably warm on the inside of your wrist, never hot. Clean the basin or tub after each use and let it dry.

How to sit in a sitz bath

Sit down slowly so the warm water covers the sore area. Relax your legs and let the muscle loosen. Stay for a short soak, then stand up carefully, because warm water can make you lightheaded. Pat dry with a soft towel. If you're using cream, this is the best moment to apply it, while the skin is clean and calm.

Getting rid of hemorrhoids: what home care can and can't do

How to get rid of hemorrhoids

Most flares settle on their own with soft stools, less straining, warm baths and a short course of cream. That settles the flare. Hemorrhoids can come back, so daily habits matter too: fiber, water, no straining and short bathroom visits. See a doctor if home care isn't enough.

How to remove hemorrhoids naturally

There's no safe natural way to remove a hemorrhoid. What natural care does well is take pressure off: more fiber from food, more water, walking every day, short bathroom visits, and no straining. Those steps let a flare settle and make the next one less likely. Be wary of oils, pastes or home methods that promise to make hemorrhoids fall off. They mostly hurt.

How to get rid of external hemorrhoids

External hemorrhoids sit under the skin at the opening, so you can see and feel them. Warm baths, cold packs wrapped in a cloth, a thin layer of cream and soft stools help the swelling go down. A sudden, very painful, hard purple lump may be a clot. That needs a doctor quickly, ideally within the first few days, because early care is easier.

How to remove external hemorrhoids at home

Don't. Cutting, tying off or popping a hemorrhoid at home can cause heavy bleeding and infection. If an external hemorrhoid hurts a lot or won't go away, a doctor can numb the area and remove a clot in the office in a few minutes. At home, your job is comfort and soft stools while you wait for the swelling to settle.

Hemorrhoid removal

When home care doesn't help, doctors have office procedures. The NIH lists rubber band ligation, injections called sclerotherapy, and infrared coagulation for internal hemorrhoids, and surgery when those aren't enough. Banding is the most common. It's quick and usually done without anesthesia. These remove the bulge or make it smaller. Habits still matter afterward.

How to get rid of a prolapsed hemorrhoid

A prolapsed hemorrhoid is an internal one that slips out through the opening, often after a bowel movement. Many slip back in on their own. A doctor can tell you whether gently pushing it back is fine for you. If it stays out, gets very painful or turns dark, see a doctor the same day. Prolapse is the clearest sign the cushion has lost its support.

Can you freeze off hemorrhoids at home

No. Freezing tissue was once a procedure done by doctors, and it's not something to try at home. What you can do is use cold for comfort: a cold pack or ice wrapped in a thin cloth, a few minutes at a time, to calm swelling. Never put ice right on the skin, and never use freezing sprays meant for warts.

Sources

• Harvard Health Publishing, Hemorrhoids and what to do about them
• Cleveland Clinic, Hemorrhoids
• NIDDK (NIH), Treatment for hemorrhoids
• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Hemorrhoids
• LAColonRectal, Hemorrhoid Cream Pros and Cons (YouTube)

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have rectal bleeding, severe pain or a change in your bowel habits, see your doctor.

About Venalys

Venalys Collagen Cushion Support is a daily, plant based capsule made with cacao, horse chestnut, butcher's broom, soft psyllium and chicory root. It is formulated to support healthy vein tone and comfortable, regular bowel movements.†

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