Is Hemorrhoidectomy Surgery the Right Choice for You?

People may not talk about it in general conversation, but problems with hemorrhoids are very real among the American population—about 1 in 20 people will have this painful experience. Not all hemorrhoids require surgery, but some can get so severe that they must be removed. Here are some of the pros and cons of the hemorrhoidectomy surgery procedure. 

Pro: Hemorrhoidectomy surgery is considered to be the most effective way to get rid of the problem. 

When someone is having issues with hemorrhoids, the thought of completely getting rid of the problem sounds great. Even if swollen hemorrhoids get better at times, they do usually worsen and repeatedly cause problems, and there is a greater risk of hemorrhoidal prolapse as time goes by. Hemorrhoidectomy surgical procedures are considered to be the most effective way to completely get rid of the issue, and there is a high success rate. 

Con: You may see greater risks of complications. 

While having hemorrhoids surgically removed is the most effective way to handle the problem, this treatment option comes with the greatest risk of complications. Naturally, any surgical procedure is more likely to cause complications because there can be greater risks of infection. In that way, hemorrhoidectomies are not really much riskier than any other type of surgery that may involve making incisions in certain soft tissues of the body. It's best to talk with the surgeon about what to expect if you went through with the surgery. 

Pro: Internal and external hemorrhoids can be treated surgically. 

Even though it is a common misconception that only external hemorrhoids can be surgically removed, the treatment can be performed on internal hemorrhoids just the same. Of course, internal problems can be harder to surgically tackle, and you may see a longer recovery time or a heightened risk of infection. 

Con: Hemorrhoidectomy surgery can involve longer recovery times than some treatments. 

Depending on the type of hemorrhoidectomy procedure performed, you can see recovery times that can be rather lengthy. One of the few types of surgery that can allow you to recover faster is rubber band ligation, which involves tying off the blood flow to the prolapsed tissue using medical-grade bands. The tissue not getting blood dies and falls away rather quickly after surgery, which allows your body to start to recover soon after. Laser removal of hemorrhoids can also offer faster recovery times because the tissue is essentially burned away and there is no big incision with stitches that has to heal.