how long does it take for a chalazion to go away

Unfortunately it can take quite some time for them to go away. Often times they don't come to a head and drain for a week or more. I encourage you to use warm compresses frequently throughout the day to help it progress and thereby go away quicker.

Just wanted to share my experience with chalazia. I had a handful of styes as a kid and got my first chalazion about 5 years ago. Thought it was a sty so just soaked it with hot water expecting it to go away. When it didn't after a few weeks (and it was incredibly painful), I had it removed by a surgeon. (It took a while, but it did eventually go away 100%. Make sure you have a skilled surgeon!)

Two years ago I felt another chalazion coming on. That night I went for acupuncture (something I do regularly anyway) and it never got worse. (At that time, she only put needles around my eye.) After another session two days later, it was completely gone (miracle #1).

On Christmas eve (Monday night) 2007 I started to get another chalazion. I soaked it to no avail. Took Benadryl, arnica--it got worse. I went for acupuncture on Wednesday afternoon thinking it might already be too late. This time, in addition to putting needles around my eye, she also put needles in my bottom eye lid. Not fun. The next day was a little worse, but on Friday it was noticeably better. I followed up with acupuncture again on Friday and it was completely gone in a matter of days (miracle #2). (I was also soaking my eye at least four times a day that week.)

I've now started washing my eyes out with Johnson's baby shampoo as recommended by others to prevent future chalazia.

Not sure if acupuncture is right for you, but just wanted to put it out there as an option.