Imagine my surprise when I figured out that baby wipes, which I used to help with my hemorrhoids, were actually irritating them. Yup.
I had hemorrhoid surgery back in late 2000. Nothing too major, but just so you know — I have a problem. I pretty much simply lived with the things for years, even after the surgery. They were an uncomfortable way of life for me.
I started using baby wipes back in 2011 on the suggestion of my brother. I didn’t notice any improvement in the hemorrhoids, but the wipes couldn’t hurt, I figured, and they provided an overall cleanliness that I liked, so I continued with them.
In 2012, though, I switched over to a meat- and dairy-free diet. I did this for general health reasons, but I figured that, for sure now, I’d be able to call bullshit on anyone who tries to tell me I don’t get enough fiber, which is highly cited as a reason for hemorrhoids.
After about 6 months of the diet, it seemed that my hemorrhoids were actually getting worse! Yes, worse! What the hell?!?!?! I was about to go to the doctor specifically about the hemorrhoids, but I hate going to the doctor, so I thought, “Hmmmmmm…. How about I try stopping the baby wipes?”
Within 2 weeks of stopping the use of baby wipes, my anal irritation went away. That was more than a year ago, and the problem has not returned.
After my experience, I looked up the relationship between baby wipes and hemorrhoids on the web, and, sure enough, others are saying the same thing. Plus, it made sense that my hemorrhoids would get worse after I switched to a vegan-plus-eggs diet, because I was going to the bathroom more, and, therefore, applying baby wipes more often.
Fwiw, I was using both Cottonelle and Kirkland (Costco house brand) baby wipes. Maybe there are some wipes that would work for me, but I’m not willing to find out, because I’m all good now, and I don’t want to mess with that.
I hope this article helps you. I remember reading about a guy who was using wipes for 20 years before figuring out the connection between them and his hemorrhoids. I’m glad it only took me about a year.