Most hemorrhoids improve within a few days to a week with the right combination of home treatments. The fastest relief comes from targeting both the swelling and the underlying cause at the same time: soothing the irritated tissue while making bowel movements easier so the area can heal. Here’s what actually works, starting with what you can do right now.
Immediate Relief: Sitz Baths and Topical Treatments
A warm sitz bath is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do for hemorrhoid pain. Fill your bathtub or a sitz basin (a shallow bowl that fits over your toilet seat) with warm water at about 104°F (40°C) and soak the area for 15 to 20 minutes. You can do this two to three times a day, especially after bowel movements. The warm water relaxes the muscles around the anus, increases blood flow, and reduces swelling. Many people feel noticeably better after just one or two soaks.
Between baths, witch hazel pads or wipes provide quick topical relief. Witch hazel is an astringent, meaning it tightens swollen tissue and reduces inflammation on contact. Apply the pads directly to the affected area up to six times a day as needed. These are for external use only.
Over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams and ointments that contain a numbing agent and a mild steroid can also help. Apply a thin film to the affected area two or three times daily. The numbing ingredient dulls pain on contact, while the steroid reduces swelling. Don’t use steroid-containing products for more than about a week straight, as they can thin the skin with prolonged use.
Make Bowel Movements Easier
Nothing will slow your recovery faster than straining on the toilet. Every time you push hard, you’re increasing pressure on the veins that are already swollen. The goal is soft stools that pass with minimal effort.
Fiber is the most reliable way to get there. Federal dietary guidelines recommend about 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories you eat, which works out to roughly 28 grams a day on a standard 2,000-calorie diet. Most people fall well short of that. Good sources include beans, lentils, whole grains, berries, broccoli, and pears. If you can’t get enough through food, a bulk-forming fiber supplement works too, though it can take one to three days to fully kick in. An osmotic laxative (like polyethylene glycol) works faster, usually within about eight hours, and can bridge the gap while you increase your fiber intake.
Drink plenty of water alongside the extra fiber. Fiber without adequate fluid can actually make constipation worse.
Change How You Sit on the Toilet
Your posture on the toilet matters more than you’d think. When you sit upright on a standard toilet, the muscle that wraps around your rectum (called the puborectalis) creates a sharp bend in the anal canal, making it harder to pass stool. When you raise your knees toward your chest, that bend straightens out significantly, from about 113° to 134° in imaging studies, creating a much more direct path.
A small footstool placed in front of the toilet simulates a squatting position. In one study of 33 volunteers, using a footstool cut average defecation time roughly in half (from about 113 seconds to 55 seconds), reduced straining, and improved the feeling of complete emptying. Less time and less straining means less pressure on hemorrhoids.
On that note, keep your total toilet time under 10 minutes. Sitting on the toilet longer than that, even without straining, increases pressure on the veins around your anus. Don’t bring your phone into the bathroom. If nothing is happening after a few minutes, get up and try again later.
Internal vs. External Hemorrhoids
Understanding which type you have helps you choose the right approach. External hemorrhoids sit under the skin around the outside of the anus. They’re the ones you can feel and see, and they’re responsible for most of the itching, pain, and irritation. A thrombosed external hemorrhoid (one with a blood clot inside) can be intensely painful and may appear as a firm, bluish lump. These often improve on their own within a week or two, but if the pain is severe, a doctor can remove the clot in a quick office procedure.
Internal hemorrhoids are inside the rectum and are graded on a four-point scale based on how far they protrude. Grade I hemorrhoids don’t prolapse at all and mainly cause painless bleeding. Grade II hemorrhoids bulge out during a bowel movement but slide back in on their own. Grade III hemorrhoids prolapse and need to be pushed back in manually. Grade IV hemorrhoids are permanently prolapsed and can’t be pushed back. Grades I and II typically respond well to home treatment. Grades III and IV often need a medical procedure.
When Home Treatment Isn’t Enough
If you’ve been consistent with sitz baths, fiber, and topical treatments for a couple of weeks without meaningful improvement, the next step is usually an office-based procedure. Rubber band ligation is the most common and preferred option for grade I through III internal hemorrhoids. During the procedure, a small rubber band is placed around the base of the hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply. The hemorrhoid shrivels and falls off on its own, usually within about a week.
The success rate for banding is between 70% and 80%, depending on the size and severity of the hemorrhoid. Recovery is quick. You might have some discomfort, difficulty with bowel movements, or excess gas for the first few days, but most people return to normal activities right away or within a day or two.
For more severe cases, particularly grade III or IV hemorrhoids that haven’t responded to banding, a surgical hemorrhoidectomy may be necessary. This is a more involved procedure with a longer recovery, but it’s the most effective option for large or recurring hemorrhoids. Another option, hemorrhoidal artery ligation, may involve less pain and faster recovery for grade II or III hemorrhoids.
Habits That Speed Up Healing
Beyond the immediate treatments, a few daily habits can make the difference between hemorrhoids that resolve in days versus ones that linger for weeks. Go to the bathroom as soon as you feel the urge. Delaying bowel movements allows stool to dry out and harden, which means more straining later. Avoid sitting for long stretches during the day, whether at a desk or on the couch. Prolonged sitting puts continuous pressure on the anal area. If you have a desk job, stand up and walk around every hour or so.
Keep the area clean but gentle. After a bowel movement, pat (don’t wipe aggressively) with unscented, alcohol-free wipes or dampened toilet paper. Harsh wiping irritates swollen tissue and delays healing. Avoid heavy lifting if you can, as bearing down with a heavy load creates the same kind of abdominal pressure as straining on the toilet.
Rectal Bleeding: What to Watch For
Small amounts of bright red blood on the toilet paper or in the bowl are common with hemorrhoids and generally not dangerous. That said, rectal bleeding has many possible causes, some of them serious, so it’s worth getting checked out even if you’re fairly confident it’s hemorrhoids. If bleeding is heavy, doesn’t stop, or comes with severe pain or dizziness, seek medical care right away.