Pardon the pun, but at the Premier Hemorrhoid Treatment Center in Knoxville we know what a sore subject hemorrhoids can be. Nearly half the U.S. population will experience hemorrhoids by the age of 50, and many silently suffer from the pain, itching, and bleeding that the swollen veins cause.
Whether it’s from embarrassment or fear that surgery will be the only recommendation, we hear from many patients who turned to Dr. Google before seeking medical help from their primary care physicians or a dedicated hemorrhoid treatment center. And, as you might imagine, Dr. Google has all sorts of opinions about how to treat hemorrhoids at home—everything from old folk remedies to herbal tonics to over the counter creams. But before you believe what someone’s great grandmother from Romania claimed about banana peels healing hemorrhoids, save yourself a lot of time, money, and suffering by knowing the following two facts.
First, home remedies may soothe your symptoms for awhile, but they can’t eliminate the source of your hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are swollen veins that may develop inside the rectum (internal hemorrhoids), or under the skin around the anus (external hemorrhoids). Even in the case of external hemorrhoids, the source is usually an internal hemorrhoid that has extended. Hemorrhoids do not go away on their own, and typically worsen over time. To truly eliminate hemorrhoids, they must be removed at the source.
Second, surgery is no longer the default option for removing hemorrhoids. Infrared coagulation (or IRC) is a non-surgical treatment that eliminates the internal source of a hemorrhoid with short bursts of laser light. The procedure is painless, requires no anesthesia, incisions, or stitches, and is performed right in the physician’s office in just a few minutes. No referral is needed, and insurance typically covers the treatments.
Infrared coagulation is effective in approximately 95% of all but the most severe of hemorrhoid cases. The procedure takes just a few minutes, and there’s no recovery period or down time. Depending on each particular patient, a series of 3 or 4 quick treatments over the course of a 2 to 4 month period may be required to eliminate the source of each hemorrhoid to bring permanent, lasting relief.
If you’d like to see how infrared coagulation can help you but an end to the pain and discomfort of hemorrhoids, call the Premier Hemorrhoid Treatment Center. It’s the only dedicated hemorrhoid treatment center in Knoxville. Call today at (865) 588-9952 or schedule a consultation.