External Hemorrhoids: Symptoms, How Long They Last, and Home Treatment

External hemorrhoids are swollen veins under the skin around the edge of the anus, and they feel like a soft or firm lump that itches, burns, or hurts when you sit. Most settle down with home care within a few days to two weeks. The things that help most are softer stools, warm sitz baths, and swapping wiping for rinsing.

Hemorrhoids are so common that most adults will deal with them at some point. Yet almost nobody talks about them, which means the research happens alone, usually late at night, on a phone screen. This guide is written for exactly that moment.

This article is general health information, not medical advice. If your symptoms are severe or worrying, contact a doctor.

What Are External Hemorrhoids?

Everyone has cushions of blood vessels around the anus that help with continence. They only become “hemorrhoids” in the medical sense when those veins stretch and swell enough to cause symptoms.

External hemorrhoids sit outside the anal opening, under skin rather than under the lining of the rectum. That is exactly why they hurt: skin is packed with pain-sensing nerves, while the rectal lining where internal hemorrhoids form has very few.

External vs. Internal Hemorrhoids

	External hemorrhoids	Internal hemorrhoids
Location	At the edge of the anus, under the skin	Inside the rectum, under the lining
Can you feel it?	Yes, a lump you can touch	Usually not, unless it prolapses
Pain	Often painful, especially sitting	Usually painless
Typical sign	Itching, burning, tenderness, swelling	Bright red blood on paper or in the bowl

Symptoms of External Hemorrhoids

The most common symptoms of external hemorrhoids are:

A lump at the anal edge, soft, firm, or slightly bluish
Itching and burning, often worse after a bowel movement
Pain when sitting, walking, or passing stool
Trouble staying clean, because it is hard to wipe properly around a lump
A little blood on the paper, if the skin over the hemorrhoid gets rubbed raw

If you are wondering what an external hemorrhoid looks like, it is usually a skin-colored to reddish lump or swollen fold at the edge of the anus. If the lump is dark blue or purple, hard, and appeared suddenly, it is most likely a thrombosed hemorrhoid.

Thrombosed External Hemorrhoids

A thrombosed external hemorrhoid is one where a small blood clot has formed inside the vein. It feels like a hard, very tender lump that can appear within hours, often after heavy straining, long sitting, or constipation.

The pain usually peaks in the first two to three days and then starts to ease. The clot is typically reabsorbed on its own within one to two weeks. If the pain is severe and started recently, see a doctor: within the first few days, a doctor can remove the clot with a quick procedure under local anesthetic, which relieves the pain fast.

What Causes External Hemorrhoids?

External hemorrhoids form when the veins around the anus are put under too much pressure, too often. The most common causes are:

Constipation and straining on the toilet
Sitting on the toilet too long, usually with a phone
Pregnancy and childbirth, which raise abdominal pressure and add pushing
A low-fiber diet and not drinking enough water
Long hours of sitting and not much movement
Heavy lifting and hard straining at the gym
Ongoing diarrhea, which irritates the skin around the anus

How Long Do External Hemorrhoids Last?

A regular irritated external hemorrhoid usually calms down within a few days to a week once constipation is under control and the area is not being rubbed. A thrombosed hemorrhoid typically improves within one to two weeks. Once the swelling goes down, a small soft skin tag may remain. It is harmless, though it can make cleaning a little trickier.

If the lump is not getting better after a week of home care, or keeps coming back, book an appointment with your doctor.

How to Treat External Hemorrhoids at Home

Most external hemorrhoids are treated at home. Home care has two goals: take pressure off the veins, and give irritated skin a chance to calm down.

1. Soften Your Stools

This is the foundation of everything else. When stool is soft, you do not need to strain, and the hemorrhoid does not get irritated all over again every time you go.

Aim for around 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day: whole grains, oats, vegetables, berries, beans, and lentils
Drink enough water for that fiber to do its job
A fiber supplement such as psyllium, or a stool softener from the pharmacy, can help if diet alone is not enough
Move every day, even a brisk walk helps keep things regular

2. Get Off the Toilet

Go when you need to go, and do not linger. Five minutes is plenty. Leave your phone in another room, because sitting on an open toilet seat puts pressure exactly where you do not want it. Many people also find that a small footstool under their feet makes bowel movements easier, since it moves the body closer to a squat.

3. Take a Warm Sitz Bath

A sitz bath is one of the most effective home remedies for external hemorrhoids. Sit in warm (not hot) water for 10 to 20 minutes so the anal area is covered. A bathtub works, or a sitz bath basin that fits over the toilet. Two or three times a day, and after bowel movements when symptoms are at their worst. The warmth relaxes the anal muscles and eases pain.

4. Rinse, Don’t Rub

This is where toilet paper becomes part of the problem. Dry paper rubs across skin that is already swollen and sore, and the more it hurts, the more you end up wiping. The result is more irritation, more itching, and sometimes small tears.

That is why hemorrhoid care guidance so often recommends rinsing the area with lukewarm water after a bowel movement and patting it dry with a soft towel or paper. At home, that means the shower or a bidet shower. At work, while traveling, or at someone else’s place, that means a portable bidet.

Squeeze Moley is a 400 ml squeeze bottle bidet. Fill it with lukewarm water, aim, and squeeze gently. You control the pressure completely, which is exactly what you want on sensitive skin.
Electric Moley is a rechargeable electric portable bidet. Choose the Gentle setting and the wide Shower spray, and the water rinses the area evenly without a concentrated jet.

After rinsing, pat dry, do not rub. While hemorrhoids are flaring, skip scented wet wipes, soaps, and intimate washes, since they can irritate the skin further. Plain water is enough.

Moley does not treat hemorrhoids. It removes the one thing that makes them worse every single day: friction.

5. Cool It Down and Manage Pain

A cold pack wrapped in a cloth, a few minutes at a time, can help bring down swelling. For short-term pain, a standard over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen (paracetamol) can help.

6. Pharmacy Creams and Suppositories

Hemorrhoid creams from the pharmacy often combine a numbing agent with a mild corticosteroid. They ease itching, burning, and swelling, but they do not remove the hemorrhoid. Use steroid-containing products only short term and as directed on the package, and ask a pharmacist first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

External Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy and After Birth

Pregnancy is one of the most common reasons people develop external hemorrhoids. The growing uterus presses on the pelvic veins, hormones slow digestion, and constipation is common. The pushing stage of labor can then bring hemorrhoids out or make existing ones worse.

Home care during pregnancy is the same as any other time: fiber, fluids, sitz baths, and gentle rinsing instead of wiping. It is also why so many hospitals send new parents home with a peri bottle. Read more in our guide to using a bidet after birth. Always check with your midwife, doctor, or pharmacist before using any medication or cream.

What If an External Hemorrhoid Bleeds or Bursts?

An external hemorrhoid can bleed a little if the skin over it gets rubbed raw. A thrombosed hemorrhoid can also burst on its own, releasing dark blood, and the pain often eases afterward.

If that happens, keep the area clean by rinsing with lukewarm water, pat it dry, and cover it with gauze or a panty liner if needed. See a doctor if the bleeding does not stop, the area becomes red and hot, or you develop a fever.

When to See a Doctor

Hemorrhoids are usually harmless, but similar symptoms can come from an anal fissure, an abscess, or, less commonly, bowel disease. Contact a doctor if:

Bleeding is new, heavy, or keeps happening, or the blood is dark or mixed into the stool
Your bowel habits change and stay changed, or you notice unexplained weight loss or fatigue
The pain is severe and does not ease within a couple of days
You have a fever, or the area is red, hot, or leaking pus
The lump is not improving after a week of home care, or symptoms keep returning
You are over 40 and have rectal bleeding for the first time

A general practitioner can examine and treat hemorrhoids and refer you to a colorectal specialist if needed. Procedures and surgery exist for recurring external hemorrhoids, but they are rarely necessary.

How to Prevent External Hemorrhoids

The same habits that treat them also prevent them: enough fiber and water, daily movement, short toilet visits without straining, and gentle cleaning. Hemorrhoids come back easily, so keep the habits going even after the symptoms are gone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do external hemorrhoids go away on their own? Yes, in most cases. A regular external hemorrhoid usually settles with home care within a few days to a week, and even a thrombosed one generally improves within one to two weeks. A harmless skin tag may remain afterward.

Can you push an external hemorrhoid back in? No. An external hemorrhoid already sits outside the anus, under the skin, so there is nothing to push back and you should not try. Pushing back applies to prolapsed internal hemorrhoids, not external ones.

Does a bidet help with hemorrhoids? A bidet does not cure hemorrhoids, but it replaces painful wiping with a gentle water rinse. Less friction means less irritation and itching, which is why rinsing with water is widely recommended as part of hemorrhoid self-care.

Are wet wipes better than toilet paper for hemorrhoids? Not necessarily. Many wet wipes contain fragrance, alcohol, or preservatives that can sting and irritate already sensitive skin, and they still involve wiping. Plain lukewarm water, followed by patting dry, is gentler.

Do I need a hemorrhoid cream? No. Creams can relieve symptoms, but they do not fix the cause. Softer stools, sitz baths, and rinsing instead of wiping are the foundation of home care.

The Bottom Line

External hemorrhoids are painful but usually harmless, and most heal with home care. Soften your stools, stop lingering on the toilet, take warm sitz baths, and swap rough paper for a gentle water rinse. If you want that rinse to come with you beyond your own bathroom, Squeeze Moley and Electric Moley are built for it. More answers are on the Moley FAQ page.