Hi everyone. Im first going to start out by saying im not a doctor nor do I make any claims or promises. Obviously this topic isn't what you would talk about table side, but I wanted to share my experience and solution with others that might also be in the same place I was for almost 3 years. Im also a guy, so this wasn't exactly easy to talk to the doctor about.

One day about 3 years ago, I had a big bowel movement, one that felt sharp and painful. Shortly after, maybe 2 weeks I noticed a small tear just outside the anus, about 1inch long. I didn't think anything of it at first but soon it got worse, painful and really itchy. I went to the doctor and was prescribed a steroid cream. I started using the cream and indeed it did work. However, the tear would reappear after a few days from stopping the cream. (The doctor warns about over use of a steroid cream as they thin the skin) I found myself using the cream often, over & over again. Same result. The tear would reappear, especially after having diarrhea. I believe the stomach acids also have bad affects on skin, especially when it's already open or irritated.

After seeing the doctor 3 times with no further advancement, I decided to start researching and testing out my own experiments to see what I could do to help my body heal. Now the following things I did which worked for me aren't standard, they are probably seen as extreme by some. However, I was willing to do anything to heal!

First I started off by using aloe. The flesh from an aloe plant is really healing to the skin. I would cut a small part of the leaf off, open it in half and rub it gently and directly into the site, letting it dry before dressing. Aloe plant can be purchased at most health food stores or plant stores.

I then remember my doctor telling me keeping it dry and clean is also important. So wearing underwear, especially when you live in a hot climate area was making me sweat as normal and I was never dry throughout the day down there. So I decided to try thongs. In my mind, the thong would keep that exact area dry, and it would allow air to pass through your cheeks and down. And if you did sweat, it would remove it from your skin.

I also thought about skin, muscles and how they stretch and contract. I was noticing the tear coming back because everytime it would heal too tight (skin from farther away would seal, but stretch open after a bowel movement) so I decided to try anal dilation. If you try, you need to go slow, lots of water based lube, and only on the days when it's not at it's worst. That allowed the skin around the area to stretch farther, which allowed the skin to seal and heal in the proper spot. Skin down there is wrinkled and difficult to seal, especially when it's not matching up to the area where it split to begin with. (anal dilation sets or anal dildos can be purchased online @ amazon)

Lastly, the ocean! Yes, that's right! Go and get into the ocean at least once a week. Im not sure what it is, but Earth's water does miracles on skin. Doing all these steps, in random order, allowed me to finally heal. The true exact time of healing after I was doing all of these was 2 weeks. Not bad considering it has been 3 years having it. I hope this helps some one and if anyone has questions feel free to ask, I'll help anyway I can ...

Do what works for you. I also use wet flushable wipes instead of toilet paper, wipe VERY gently or shower after a bowel movement. Don't spread your cheeks far or keep looking in mirrors, that just stretches it more and could make it rip farther. Keep it clean, use gentle soaps.