When anal itch attacks, you want relief! Some people have chronic issues while others have only sporadic anal itching problems. This article will cover the 5 best ways to treat an itchy anus so you can find the one that works best for you, and for the lowest possible cost as well. The one you choose will depend on whether anal itching is an occasional problem or if your issue is chronic and waking you up at night.

To begin with, my research that began in 2010, has finally found the general cause of virtually all idiopathic pruritus ani.(Anal itching of unknown cause.) You can go here to read more about it. To summarize, the cause is not from your diet or some allergy, it is something in your rectum.When it comes out, it irritates the anus and surrounding skin causing itching and sometimes burning.It comes out with bowel movements, anal leakage, and passing gas. Only 5% or less of the population is said to have this problem so this substance/culprit is unique to those of us experiencing this unfortunate medical issue.

The anal skin goes inside the body about an inch so that’s why the need to scratch travels slightly inside there as well. This scratching causes irritation, fissures and hemorrhoids. When you stop scratching, the entire anal area calms down, heals and life is good again. Stop scratching is ridiculous advice, you need something to stop the itching, you can’t just stop scratching on your own, you’ll go crazy trying.

Armed with the above knowledge, it’s obvious that the first thing you need to do is to remove the culprit. Unlike most people who can just use toilet paper and be fine all day, you can’t stop there. After every bowel movement and every time the urge to scratch presents itself, you need to remove the culprit. Find the least expensive baby wipes (premoistened disposable wipes) that are non-medicated and clean with the wipe until no color shows up. You then simply pat dry and hope that will do it. If the itch is gone, then you do nothing. If your bottom still itches, then you need to find an ointment/cream that will soothe the skin and give you relief. Here are the five best anal itching treatments in the order you should try them:

• 1) Any basic, generic, 1% hydrocortisone cream…NOT ointment. CVS and every pharmacy will have it.You want to avoid as much petrolatum as possible. Typically, when a tube of something says ointment it means it’s greasy and contains a lot of petrolatum. You can look up the word petrolatum and see it has many different names. You should only use this product for a week or two. If your itching doesn’t go away completely then you need to stop using it as it will thin the skin and create even more problems.In addition, this is a steroid cream and your body get’s addicted to it in that there is a withdrawal period. Once you stop using it, itching can increase for several days! If this doesn’t work, then go to number 2.
• 2) Any basic, generic, zinc oxide diaper rash/skin ointment with minimal petrolatum. Desitin makes a few different formulas. Most large pharmacies like Walmart have generic brands available for $6 or less. You can ask a pharmacist for help deciding. If you need to use zinc oxide daily, it will eventually fail. This product is for people who only need to apply a few days a week at most. If this doesn’t work, then try number 3.
• 3) Calmoseptine is the next choice. This is the product recommended by lots of colon/rectal surgeons. It is a unique formula that has been around since the 1980’s. It is zinc oxide based but has a few extra ingredients that help with itching. It is not as widely available as generic zinc oxide but can be purchased on Amazon or at Walgreens for around $10. If this doesn’t work things are getting serious and you need to go to number 4.
• 4) If products one through three have failed after 8 weeks or so, it’s time to go to see your doctor and get checked out for yeast or fungus or any other medically known cause of chronic anal itching. If you are lucky, the doctor will know what is causing it and prescribe the cure! In most cases, however, nothing is found, and you are deemed to have “idiopathic pruritus ani” (anal itching of unknown cause). Your physician will probably tell you to try treatments 1-3 above, and you will be able to tell her that you’ve already done that.Your doctor will likely write you a prescription for a strong steroid cream that should only be used for a week or two. Again, steroid creams thin the skin so they can only be used for a limited period of time or else you end up with chronic sores and tears that won’t heal…leaving you with a worse problem than you had before. But in a few cases, a two-week dose of steroid cream is all someone needs to stop the itching to allow the bottom to heal.She may also give you some advice that diet or allergies are the cause and send you on a try this and avoid that jungle. Or, you can listen to my non-medical conclusion that diet, and allergies, are NOT the cause.It’s your choice/decision.
• 5) You now have been to the doctor and tried all the common anal itching remedies for months, along with your doctor’s steroid cream prescription. The prescription may have brought you relief for a few weeks or a month, but now the itching is back with a vengeance.Your last stop, which has proven effective on over 98% of anal itching sufferers who have used it for at least 5 weeks, is the Pranicura Treatment. This patent pending product along with the simple application process mentioned above works almost every time, even on the worst of the worst. People who have suffered for decades finally have their lives back. What makes it so special? Unfortunately, we can’t reveal that yet. Its patent pending and therefore not in drug stores yet. The formula is FDA compliant with anal ointments and registered as an OTC medicine and not a homeopathic remedy. It’s available only online at www.pranicura.com.