Most hemorrhoids go away on their own within one to two weeks with basic home care. Thrombosed hemorrhoids, which contain a blood clot, take longer and typically resolve within a few weeks as your body gradually reabsorbs the clot. The exact timeline depends on the type of hemorrhoid, its severity, and what you do about it.
Timelines by Type
Mild internal or external hemorrhoids that are simply swollen and irritated tend to improve within 7 to 14 days if you address the underlying cause, usually straining during bowel movements or hard stools. Symptoms like itching and discomfort often start easing within the first few days of treatment.
Thrombosed hemorrhoids are more painful and take longer. These form when a blood clot develops inside an external hemorrhoid, creating a firm, tender lump. Your body will eventually reabsorb the clot, and pain improves a little each day, but the full process takes several weeks. The worst pain from a thrombosed hemorrhoid usually peaks in the first 48 to 72 hours and then gradually fades. If the pain is severe enough to interfere with daily life during those first few days, a doctor can surgically remove the clot for faster relief.
Larger hemorrhoids, particularly internal ones that have started to prolapse (bulge outside the anal canal), may not resolve on their own and often need a medical procedure.
What Speeds Up Healing
The single most effective thing you can do is increase your fiber intake. Eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes makes stools softer and easier to pass, which reduces the straining that caused the hemorrhoid in the first place. A review of roughly 380 patients found that increasing fiber intake reduced persistent hemorrhoid symptoms by 53% compared to no dietary changes. Drinking plenty of water helps the fiber work better.
Sitz baths, where you sit in a few inches of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, are the other cornerstone of home treatment. The warm water relaxes the muscle around your anus and increases blood flow to the area, which promotes faster healing and eases pain and itching. Three to four sitz baths a day is a reasonable frequency when symptoms are active. If your pain hasn’t started improving after two or three baths, that’s a sign you may need a different approach.
Over-the-counter creams and suppositories containing hydrocortisone can reduce inflammation and itching, but they have a hard limit: do not use them for more than seven days. Prolonged use can thin the skin and actually make things worse. If your symptoms haven’t improved after a week of home treatment, it’s time to see a doctor.
What Slows Down Healing
Continued straining on the toilet is the biggest obstacle. If you’re spending long stretches sitting on the toilet, scrolling your phone, you’re keeping pressure on those swollen veins and undoing your body’s repair work. Constipation perpetuates the cycle, so cutting back on low-fiber foods like processed snacks, fast food, cheese, and red meat matters during recovery. Sitting for long periods at a desk or in a car can also slow things down by keeping sustained pressure on the area.
When Home Care Isn’t Enough
If symptoms persist beyond a week of consistent home treatment, or if you have severe pain or noticeable bleeding, a doctor should evaluate you. Bleeding that seems disproportionate, or bleeding in someone middle-aged or older who hasn’t had a recent colonoscopy, may warrant further testing to rule out other conditions.
For hemorrhoids that don’t respond to conservative measures, the most common office procedure is rubber band ligation. A small band is placed around the base of an internal hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply. The hemorrhoid shrivels and falls off within about one week. Most people return to normal activities right away, though you should avoid heavy lifting for at least two weeks. The first few days can bring some discomfort, gas, or difficulty with bowel movements.
For more advanced cases, particularly large external hemorrhoids or internal hemorrhoids that prolapse significantly, surgical removal (hemorrhoidectomy) may be recommended. Recovery from surgery is more involved, but it offers lower recurrence rates. In a case series of 150 patients with thrombosed external hemorrhoids, those who had surgical excision had less pain by day four and a lower recurrence rate at one year compared to other approaches.
Preventing Them From Coming Back
Hemorrhoids have a frustrating tendency to recur. The same habits that caused the first episode will cause the next one. A high-fiber diet with adequate water intake is the most reliable long-term prevention strategy. Aiming for 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily keeps stools soft enough that you rarely need to strain. If you can’t get enough fiber from food, a fiber supplement works too.
Other practical changes help: don’t delay bowel movements when you feel the urge, limit toilet time to a few minutes, stay physically active, and avoid sitting in one position for hours at a stretch. These are simple adjustments, but they’re what separates people who deal with hemorrhoids once from those who deal with them repeatedly.