The fistula band usually falls off within a week or so, with some individual variation depending on the amount of tissue ligated in the fistula band. If there is less tissue in the fistula band, it can fall off within a week. However, if more tissue is ligated, it will take longer than a week or even 10 days to fall off. Some patients will also need to tighten the thread here after the ligature has relaxed to promote shedding of the ligature. The need to ligate the skin band for anal fistula is clinically known as anal fistula hanging wire, which is used to cut the fistula through the elastic contraction function of the skin band in order to prevent a one-time cut during surgery, which can damage the rectal ring and cause postoperative anal incontinence in patients.