What are haemorrhoids?
The term 'haemorrhoid' is given to a blood vessel, in or around the anus and lower rectum, when it stretches and becomes swollen under pressure. A more common name for haemorrhoids is piles.

You can suffer from three different types of piles :

Internal piles
As the name suggests, the swollen blood vessels are inside the rectum.

Prolapsed piles
If an internal pile continues to swell, it can slip down and hang outside the anus. The pile can be pushed back but is extremely uncomfortable when it is prolapsed.

External piles
This is a dark red swelling on the outside of the anus. It can be as small as a pea or grow to the size of a walnut. In all cases, external piles can be very painful.