What is the best treatment for a minor anal fissure?

Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
Updated on October 25, 2024
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Minor anal fissures, which are early-stage fissures, mainly manifest as pain during defecation and minor bleeding, but the pain does not last long and is primarily associated with defecation. For minor fissures, it is generally recommended to choose conservative treatment with medications and dietary regulation to ensure smooth bowel movements. Typically, after defecation, one can choose to use an anal cleansing solution or a potassium permanganate solution for a sitz bath. After the sitz bath, apply Dragon Ball ointment or nitroglycerin ointment locally to promote the healing of the ulcerated surface. At the same time, in terms of diet, one should drink more water and consume foods rich in dietary fiber to maintain smooth bowel movements as much as possible, avoiding dry and hard stools, which also helps in the healing of minor anal fissures. Additionally, patients should pay attention to keeping the anal area dry and clean, avoid irritating the wound, and prevent infection that could exacerbate the condition.

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Written by Hu Xiang Dang
Colorectal Surgery Department
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Is anal fissure serious?

People often ask whether anal fissures are serious and what the consequences might be if they are not treated. Although treating anal fissures is not particularly difficult clinically, many patients, due to a lack of treatment knowledge and awareness of the condition, often delay treatment, which can cause some harm to their health. If an anal fissure is not treated, in addition to the pain during bowel movements and bleeding that the fissure itself causes, over time, it could also lead to conditions such as anal fistula and hypertrophied anal papillae. At the end of the fissure, a sentinel pile may develop. Due to the repeated irritation by fecal matter in an inflamed fissure, a linear ulcer may form. The skin and subcutaneous tissue around the anus might undergo fibrosis, thickening, or. form a hard lump. If the fissure repeatedly becomes infected, it can lead to the development of an anal sinus, and after infection, it may cause subcutaneous fistulas or abscesses. Of course, if an anal fissure persists over time, due to long-term spasm and fibrosis of the internal sphincter, it can lead to consequences such as anal stenosis.

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Written by He Cai Dong
Colorectal Surgery Department
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What is the best treatment for anal fissure polyps?

In medical terms, an anal tag is known as a sentinel pile, which is simply a common external hemorrhoid. It results from prolonged non-healing anal fissures and repeated local inflammatory irritation, leading to tissue hyperplasia. The only way to remove the anal tag is through surgical removal, as medications alone cannot cure it. It is advisable to maintain a light diet, drink plenty of water, and consume lots of vegetables and fruits to keep bowel movements regular and soft, which can help reduce the occurrence of anal fissures. During flare-ups, one should avoid consuming beef, lamb, seafood, and other potentially irritating foods, and avoid prolonged sitting or standing. If stools are dry, products such as hemp seed pills, lactulose oral solution, and polyethylene glycol 4000 can be used to effectively soften the stools and alleviate symptoms of anal fissures. (Please use medications under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Du Rui Xia
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How to treat postpartum constipation and anal fissures?

In cases of postpartum constipation, if it becomes severe and leads to an anal fissure, it is necessary to visit the hospital's proctology department for an examination. When an anal fissure occurs, it generally requires the use of medications to invigorate blood and dissolve stasis to facilitate wound healing. You can also apply some grease around the wound to increase the lubrication of the muscles around the anus, which can alleviate some of the difficulties experienced during defecation. In daily life, it is important to drink more water, consume plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, avoid spicy and irritating foods that can cause internal heat, and you can also use a potassium permanganate solution for sitz baths to alleviate local pain. If the condition of the anal fissure is severe, surgical treatment may be necessary.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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How to examine anal fissures in women

If a woman suspects symptoms of an anal fissure, it is recommended to directly perform a digital rectal examination rather than an anoscopy, to avoid worsening the condition by potentially tearing local fissures with the anoscope. Typically, an anal fissure presents with severe local pain in the anus, bleeding during bowel movements, and accompanying hard stools. Therefore, the initial treatment should focus on softening the stool, for which one can take oral hemp seed oil capsules to facilitate bowel movements. Additionally, applying Recovery New liquid as a hot compress on the local fissures can help alleviate symptoms and promote healing. If there is anal constriction, anal dilation therapy might be chosen, or treatment may involve a lateral internal sphincterotomy. (Please use the above medications under the guidance of a physician, and do not use them indiscriminately on your own.)

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Colorectal Surgery Department
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symptoms of anal fissure

What are the symptoms of an anal fissure? The most typical symptoms of an anal fissure are clinically manifested in three aspects: pain, rectal bleeding, and constipation. Firstly, constipation: Many patients with anal fissures generally first exhibit symptoms of constipation. Then, due to the dryness and bulkiness of the stool, the skin around the anus tears, forming an anal fissure. Subsequently, because of anal pain, the patient fears defecation, which over time exacerbates the hardness of the stool. As constipation worsens, it can aggravate the fissure, thereby creating a vicious cycle. The second main symptom is pain, which is not only the most significant symptom of an anal fissure but also potentially the most intensely felt by the patient. The skin around the anus is sensitive, and damage to this skin can cause significant pain. The degree and duration of the pain can also indicate the severity of the fissure. Typically, the pain from an anal fissure is cyclical. It usually occurs during defecation, followed by a few minutes of relief. Then, pain is stimulated by the contraction of the internal anal sphincter, causing sustained spasms of the sphincter, leading to severe pain. This pain can last for several minutes or even hours. During this time, the patient may feel extremely uncomfortable and find it unbearable, some only finding relief when the sphincter muscles relax after fatigue. Then, the pain reoccurs with the next bowel movement, characterized by its cyclic nature. The third main symptom is rectal bleeding. Patients may notice droplets of blood during defecation, sometimes spotting a few drops of bright red blood in the toilet bowl or seeing streaks of blood on the stool, occasionally mixed with intestinal mucus. When wiping the anus, sometimes the toilet paper shows red blood. However, the amount of bleeding is related to the size and depth of the fissure—the larger and deeper the fissure, the more bleeding occurs. Additionally, some patients may experience itching around the anus. The ulcerated surface of the fissure, along with secretions from the anal glands, irritates the skin around the anus, which can lead to perianal eczema and itching.