Has anyone else found that, while the sitz baths are soothing, after a while they can start to cause a bit of irritation from having your skin exposed to the water for so long I suppose.
What cream can you use on the anus to soothe it without irritating it further or interfering with your healing?

try wheatgerm oil, I found that was really good. Bernard has found a very good aloe vera gel with no additives, so that would be worth a try .

Yeah, definitely aloe vera. I have some in capsules that I just snip open and apply. Just make sure you aren't getting any aloe vera gel that has alcohol in it because that can be drying.

I also like A&D ointment. It is used primarily as a skin protecterant for babies between nappy changes but it can be used for all sorts of irritations.

I also like emu oil. It's soothing to my skin.

I used coconut oil sometimes in the beginning, olive oil is good too.
Aloe is very good and baby creams - depends what feeling you prefer - just slippery or oily. I found out that now post op my butt prefers Vaseline above all things !!!! Go figure ...

Who would have thought all us grown ups would have to revert to using baby wipes and diaper ointment??

And eating baby food!

Hmm I like using aloe too but if I'm REALLY in a LOT of pain or of it's burning too much and I don't have time for a sitz bath or anything else, I just use vaseline. When I was much younger (e.g. in my teens), I would always get butt irritations, I've probably had hemmy's for a while or maybe even a fissure for a while. I always used Vaseline for pain... It would help me somehow, but it doesn't do anything in terms of healing, I think. In fact, be careful how much you use it, because it changes the colour of your skin (literally, my anus has become a lot lighter after using Vaseline so much. My doctor was surprised).

Ha ha, Sunshine : )), I am not surprised that it does strange things to skin - Vaseline is industrial junk - hence PETROLATUM gel !!! he he, good that it does not cause something more, LOL. But, since my babies survived ample amounts for 2 years or so, I hope I will survive too ; )) ! I am healed now so I just need some kind of "barrier" and it works great : ) ! My anus looks funny after LIS anyway, LOL, so being pale won't make a major impact ; ))! My butt is white as a cottage cheese anyway, so no matter how much lighter my anus gets , it cen never match my skin-tone , ha ha ha ! Hopefully, maybe one day I won't need it any more - just because it sometimes stains my panties. Ahhhhhhh... how I dream of wearing tongs again : (((.....

Vaseline has that tendency anyways, especially when applied to cuts or wounds. My doctor suspected I had skin disease and asked me if I noticed lightening of the skin anywhere else (I'm serious). She thought I was using lubricants or some other crap there. I told her my ass is precious I wouldn't use anything weird.
It sooths the pain though, if there's ever a really painful day.