Will laser hemorrhoid treatment affect continence?

Continence is protected by design. The laser fibre works inside the haemorrhoidal cushion and the sphincter muscle is not cut. Preserving the cushions protects the fine continence for gas and liquid that conventional excision can compromise.

Can I have laser hemorrhoid treatment while pregnant?

Elective laser treatment is deferred until after delivery. Many pregnancy-related hemorrhoids improve substantially post-partum. Pregnancy-safe conservative management is provided and review takes place at around three months after birth.

Can external hemorrhoids and skin tags be treated at the same time?

Yes. External components and residual skin tags can be addressed in the same sitting, either with laser or a small conventional excision under the same anaesthetic. This is decided at examination under anaesthesia and agreed with the patient beforehand.

Home/Conditions/Hemorrhoids (Piles)

Hemorrhoids · Piles · بواسير

Laser treatment for hemorrhoids in Dubai — the pile is shrunk, not cut out.

Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty (LHP) delivers energy inside the haemorrhoidal cushion through a fibre the width of a fishing line. The blood supply seals, the swelling collapses, and the tissue scars down flat — with no excision, no stitches and no open wound to dress.

~20 minute procedure Home the same day Grades I–IV assessed No excision

Book a private assessment Ask about piles

Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty, in short

A radial fibre is placed inside each haemorrhoidal cushion under direct vision
Controlled energy seals the feeding blood vessels and shrinks the swollen tissue
No tissue is excised and no external wound is left to dress or heal
Most patients return to a desk job within about 48 hours

The full anatomy and technique diagrams are further down this page.

At a glance

Procedure: Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty (LHP), 1470 nm diode, radial fibre
Anaesthesia: short general, spinal, or sedation with local
Theatre time: 15–25 minutes
Discharge: same day, 2–4 hours after
Desk work: about 48 hours
Best for: Grade II and III; selected Grade I and IV

Medically reviewed by Dr Kerim Erdem Ulucay, Specialist General & Laparoscopic Surgeon (DHA-licensed) Last reviewed: 25 August 2026 Next review due: August 2027 Reading time: 9 minutes

Understand it, then decide

The condition and the cure, kept separate

Start on the left if you are still working out what is wrong. Move to the right when you want to know what treatment involves.

Component A · The Disease

What hemorrhoids actually are

Everyone has hemorrhoids. They are not a disease — they are three normal cushions of blood vessels, connective tissue and smooth muscle sitting inside the anal canal, and they contribute a meaningful share of your resting continence. They are part of the seal that stops you leaking.

The problem begins when the supporting tissue that anchors those cushions to the muscle wall stretches and fragments. Straining, prolonged sitting on the toilet, chronic constipation, pregnancy and simple ageing all degrade that anchorage. The cushions engorge, slide downwards, and start to bleed, prolapse and irritate. That is what people mean by "piles".

This distinction matters clinically, because it is the argument for laser. If the cushions are functional tissue, cutting them out — the traditional Milligan-Morgan haemorrhoidectomy — removes something you were using. Shrinking them back into position keeps it.

Hemorrhoids are extremely common in the UAE. Long office hours, low dietary fibre in a convenience-food pattern, dehydration in a hot climate where people under-drink water, and long-haul flights that keep people seated for eight hours are all contributors that this clinic sees repeatedly.

Hemorrhoid disease overview — anatomy and causes, Goligher grading I to IV, and management and treatment options including Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty

Anatomy & causes, grading, and management options at a glance

Symptoms — what patients actually describe

Internal hemorrhoids

Painless bright-red bleeding. Blood on the paper, dripping into the pan, or coating — not mixed into — the stool. The single most common presenting symptom.
A lump that appears on straining. It may reduce on its own, need pushing back, or stay out permanently. This is what determines your grade.
Mucus discharge and staining. Prolapsed tissue produces mucus, which stains underwear and irritates surrounding skin.
Incomplete emptying. A persistent feeling that something is still there after opening the bowels.
Itching (pruritus ani). A consequence of moisture and mucus, not of the pile itself.

External hemorrhoids & thrombosis

Sudden severe pain with a hard lump. A thrombosed external pile — a clot in the external plexus. Exquisitely tender, often appearing overnight.
A blue-purple swelling at the anal verge that you can feel and see.
Skin tags. Painless folds of skin left behind after a thrombosis resolves. Hygiene nuisance rather than danger.
Time matters. A thrombosed pile seen within 72 hours can often be relieved immediately; after that, conservative management is usually kinder.

Internal hemorrhoids do not hurt. Above the dentate line there are no somatic pain fibres. If your main symptom is pain, the diagnosis is more likely an anal fissure, a thrombosed external pile, or an abscess — and it needs examining, not creaming.

Why they develop — the causes worth changing

Mechanical & behavioural

Straining at stool. Sitting on the toilet for more than three minutes — the phone is a genuine risk factor. Chronic constipation, and equally chronic diarrhoea. Heavy lifting, whether in a gym or a warehouse.

Dietary & climate

Low fibre intake, insufficient water. In the Gulf, dehydration is chronic and under-recognised — people work in air conditioning, sweat in transit, and drink coffee instead of water. Stool hardens and straining follows.

Physiological

Pregnancy and childbirth (pelvic venous pressure plus pushing). Ageing and the natural loss of connective-tissue support. Obesity. Portal hypertension in liver disease. A family tendency toward weak connective tissue.

Grading — this decides your treatment

Internal hemorrhoids are staged by the Goligher classification, based purely on prolapse behaviour. It takes a two-minute examination to establish, and it is the single most useful thing you will learn in your consultation.

Grade I

Bleeds but never prolapses. Visible only on proctoscopy.

Diet, fibre, topical care · laser rarely needed

Grade II

Prolapses on straining, then returns inside by itself.

Ideal for LHP · excellent results

Grade III

Prolapses and must be pushed back manually.

Core LHP indication · often with mucopexy

Grade IV

Permanently prolapsed and cannot be reduced. May be thrombosed.

Selected cases only · open surgery may be better

Being told "you need a colonoscopy first" is good medicine, not a delay tactic. If you are over 45, have a family history of colorectal cancer, or your bleeding is dark, mixed into the stool, or accompanied by weight loss or a change in bowel habit, the colon is examined before anything is treated. Treating a pile and missing a tumour behind it is the one error in this field that is never recoverable.

Understanding your diagnosis

"What grade am I?"

Grade I: bleeds, does not prolapse
Grade II: prolapses on straining, reduces on its own
Grade III: prolapses and needs a finger to push it back
Grade IV: permanently prolapsed, cannot be reduced

Your exact grade is confirmed at examination, not guessed from symptoms alone.

"Is this bleeding dangerous?" — red flags

Blood mixed into the stool, rather than only on the paper or in the bowl
A change in bowel habit, unexplained weight loss, or persistent abdominal pain alongside the bleeding
Any rectal bleeding for the first time after age 45–50
A family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease

Any of these means a colonoscopy comes before treatment, not after.

Now show me the treatment

Component B · The Laser Treatment

Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty (LHP), step by step

LHP uses a 1470 nm diode laser — a wavelength absorbed strongly by water, which means the energy is consumed within the tissue it enters instead of travelling onward. A radial fibre emits that energy in a 360° ring rather than a forward beam, so the treatment is even and predictable in every direction around the fibre tip.

The fibre is introduced through a puncture at the anal verge — 1 to 2 mm, not an incision — and advanced into the haemorrhoidal cushion itself. Energy is delivered in short controlled pulses as the fibre is withdrawn. The feeding vessels coagulate and close, and the submucosal tissue contracts and fibroses over the following weeks.

The result is a pile that shrinks and is re-anchored by its own scar tissue, drawn back up inside the anal canal. Nothing is amputated. There is no raw surface left behind, which is precisely why the recovery bears no resemblance to a conventional haemorrhoidectomy.

In Grade III disease the laser is frequently combined with a mucopexy — a suture that lifts the prolapsing mucosa back to its correct level. Laser handles the blood supply and the bulk; the mucopexy handles the position.

Laser hemorrhoidoplasty technique — radial fibre inserted into the haemorrhoidal cushion

Inside the theatre — the five stages

10–5 minutes
Anaesthesia and positioning

Short general anaesthetic, spinal block, or sedation with local infiltration — decided with you and the anaesthetist beforehand. You are positioned in lithotomy or prone jack-knife. You feel and remember nothing.
25–8 minutes
Examination under anaesthesia

With the sphincter fully relaxed, the surgeon can map the disease properly — which cushions are involved, the true grade, and whether there is a coexisting fissure or fistula that would otherwise have been missed.
38–18 minutes
Fibre insertion and energy delivery

A 1–2 mm puncture at the anal verge admits the radial fibre into each affected cushion. Energy is delivered in pulses, typically 8–15 W, while the fibre is slowly withdrawn. Real-time thermal control keeps the mucosa and the sphincter out of the treatment field.
418–22 minutes
Mucopexy, where indicated

For Grade III prolapse, one or two absorbable sutures lift the redundant mucosa back to its anatomical level. This is what converts a good result into a durable one.
522–25 minutes
Check and wake

Haemostasis confirmed, no packing inserted — packing is one of the most hated parts of conventional surgery and it is simply not needed here. You wake in recovery within minutes.

Watch it in motion

Animated illustration — no real patients or staff

Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty (LHP) — animated walkthroughRadial fibre inside the cushion, energy pulses, before/after · silent · 12s loop

Benefits over conventional haemorrhoidectomy

No open wound

Conventional excision leaves raw wounds in the anal canal that heal by secondary intention over four to eight weeks. LHP leaves a puncture. There is nothing to dress and nothing to pack.

Cushions preserved

The haemorrhoidal cushions contribute to fine continence. LHP shrinks and repositions them rather than removing them, which protects the anal seal for gas and liquid.

Virtually bloodless

The 1470 nm wavelength coagulates as it works. Intra-operative blood loss is minimal and post-operative secondary haemorrhage — the complication that sends haemorrhoidectomy patients back to hospital at day 7–10 — is uncommon.

Day case, 20 minutes

Short theatre time means a light anaesthetic and quick discharge. Admitted in the morning, home by the afternoon, sleeping in your own bed the same night.

Back to work in ~48 hours

Desk-based work at around two days. Compare that with two to four weeks after conventional haemorrhoidectomy — for many patients in Dubai, that difference is the deciding factor.

Repeatable

Because no tissue has been removed and no scarring bridge created, a second session remains straightforward if a cushion needs further treatment later.

Pain: an honest comparison

Typical patient-reported pain in the first 72 hours, on a 0–10 visual analogue scale. These are representative ranges from published series and clinic experience — not a promise about your individual experience.

Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty LHP · this clinic

2–3

Stapled haemorrhoidopexy PPH

Open haemorrhoidectomy Milligan-Morgan

7–8

0 = no pain · 10 = worst imaginable pain. Measured at 24–72 hours post-operatively with standard oral analgesia.

Recovery timeline

Day 0Home 2–4 hours after the procedure. Eat normally. First painkiller before the anaesthetic wears off.

Days 1–2Mild ache and a sense of fullness. Warm sitz baths twice daily. Stool softener started. Desk work resumes.

Days 3–7Light spotting on the paper is normal and expected. Discomfort fading. Short walks encouraged; no gym.

Week 2Clinic review. Most patients are off painkillers entirely. Bleeding has usually stopped. Gym and travel cleared.

Weeks 4–6Fibrosis completes and the cushion has fully contracted. Final result assessed. Long-term fibre plan agreed.

Contact the clinic straight away if: bleeding is heavy or clotted rather than spotting; you cannot pass urine after eight hours; you develop a fever above 38°C; or pain escalates instead of easing after day three. These are uncommon, and all are manageable when reported early. You have direct WhatsApp access for exactly this reason.

The procedure, step by step — and what to expect afterwards

Inside LHP, in four steps

Proctoscope placed; each haemorrhoidal cushion identified and graded again under direct vision
The radial fibre is introduced and energy is delivered in short, controlled pulses
The fibre is withdrawn along the cushion so the whole prolapsing segment is treated evenly
A brief recovery-area check before discharge the same day

The full illustrated technique diagram is above, in the treatment section.

Patient stories — by consent only

We do not publish stock or invented testimonials on this site
Patients who choose to share their experience do so in writing, with explicit consent
Ask us directly and we can put you in touch, where a patient has agreed to be contacted

Ask about patient experiences

Individual results and recovery times vary between patients.

Find out your grade before you decide anything

A five-minute examination tells you whether you are a Grade II who will do beautifully with laser, or a Grade IV who deserves a frank conversation about open surgery. Either way, you will leave knowing.

Book an assessment Ask a question first

Every option, not just ours

How LHP compares with the alternatives

Laser is not the answer to every pile. Here is where each treatment genuinely belongs.

Treatment	Best suited to	Recovery	Trade-off
Fibre, fluid & topical care	Grade I, and every patient as a foundation	None	Always tried first. Will not fix prolapse.
Rubber band ligation	Grade I–II bleeding	1–3 days	Quick and cheap, but often needs repeating and can be surprisingly uncomfortable.
Laser Hemorrhoidoplasty (LHP)	Grade II–III; selected I and IV	~48 hours	No wound, cushions preserved. Not for large thrombosed or circumferential disease.
Stapled haemorrhoidopexy (PPH)	Circumferential Grade III	1–2 weeks	Effective for prolapse; rare but serious staple-line complications.
Open haemorrhoidectomy	Grade IV, thrombosed, mixed large piles	2–6 weeks	The most definitive operation — and the most painful. Still the right choice for some.

Hemorrhoid questions

What patients ask before booking

How much does laser hemorrhoid treatment cost in Dubai?

Cost depends on the grade, how many cushions need treating, whether a mucopexy is added, and the anaesthetic used. The clinic gives you a written, itemised quotation after examination — before you commit to anything — and submits an insurance pre-approval on your behalf where you have cover. You will never be asked to decide with an unclear number in front of you.

Can Grade IV hemorrhoids be treated with laser?

Sometimes — selected Grade IV cases respond well to LHP combined with mucopexy. But large, fibrosed, circumferential or thrombosed Grade IV disease is usually better served by conventional haemorrhoidectomy, which remains the most definitive operation available. If that is your situation you will be told so directly, even though it is the longer recovery.

Will I be able to control gas and stool afterwards?

Continence is protected by design. The laser fibre works inside the haemorrhoidal cushion, and the sphincter muscle is neither cut nor stretched beyond what is needed to introduce an instrument. Preserving the cushions in fact protects the fine continence that conventional excision can compromise.

How long does bleeding continue after LHP?

Light spotting on the paper for the first five to seven days is entirely normal as the treated tissue settles. It should be spotting, not flow, and it should be reducing rather than increasing. Heavy or clotted bleeding at any point warrants a call to the clinic the same day.

Can I fly after laser hemorrhoid surgery?

Short-haul flights are usually comfortable from about day 3–5, and long-haul from around day 7. Take an aisle seat, walk the cabin every hour, keep hydrated and take a stool softener with you — cabin air and long sitting are precisely the conditions that aggravate piles in the first place. This matters for most patients in the UAE, so it is planned into your recovery from the start.

Do hemorrhoids come back after laser treatment?

They can. Reported recurrence after LHP in appropriately selected Grade II–III disease is low in the published series, but no treatment removes the tendency that produced the piles in the first place. The patients who stay well are the ones who fix the fibre, the fluid and the toilet habit. That plan is written for you at your two-week review.

I am pregnant — can I have laser treatment?

Elective laser treatment is deferred until after delivery. Hemorrhoids in pregnancy are driven by pelvic venous pressure and hormonal changes, and a substantial proportion improve markedly in the months after birth. Pregnancy-safe conservative management is provided in the meantime, and you are reviewed at around three months post-partum to see what — if anything — still needs treating.

Is laser treatment available for external hemorrhoids and skin tags?

Yes. External components and residual skin tags can be addressed at the same sitting, either with laser or with a small conventional excision under the same anaesthetic — it is more sensible than treating the inside and leaving the outside. This is decided at the examination under anaesthesia, and discussed with you beforehand so nothing happens that you have not agreed to.