Hickey 101: 15 Ways To Get Rid Of A Hickey Fast

A hickey or love bite is a common phenomenon among teenagers but it also happens to adults. It happens when someone lightly bites your skin such that the capillaries around that area burst. The resulting mark is discolored and that’s when you realize you have been bruised. But it is not like a normal bruise because it has a connotation- that you and your boyfriend were involved in a hot activity. As such you might feel embarrassed when people start noticing the kiss mark. Sometimes, hickeys can cause stigmatization in girls as it is perceived as a consequence of some school-based sexual encounters which are highly discouraged especially among teenagers. Actually, some people think that a hickey is unprofessional for ladies in the corporate world; they are judged for indulging in intense kissing moments. This is quite interesting because people get bruises every day from sports injuries, bar fights, to workplace mishaps- why would a woman be judged for getting a passionate kiss mark? The red blotch on your skin may not be an appealing mark but you have nothing to be ashamed of, but the last thing you need is harsh stares from your classmate or workmates. Note that a hickey cannot disappear overnight; it can even go for weeks. You want to learn how to hide or get rid of a hickey as fast as you can. Keep reading to discover the 15 effective solutions.

Hickeys are absolutely painless. They cannot put you in any danger. To some people, they are signatures of love while others take them as sources of embarrassment. Good news is that a hickey is not a permanent mark. As time passes, it fades away and no scars are left behind. If you leave it to heal on its own, it will last for five to twelve days. The time it takes for a hickey to disappear depends on the aggressiveness of your boyfriend and consequently the extent of damage done to your capillaries. Personal health too determines the longevity of a hickey- adopting a healthier lifestyle can help you get rid of it really fast.

You can get a hickey anywhere on your body with delicate and thin skin e.g. your lips, chest, inner arm, or the neck. It only takes a few minutes for the bruise to show up after your skin has been sucked. The color of the kiss mark varies from one person to the next because the blood breaks down at different rates among individuals. You can expect anything from brown, purple, or red. Then it turns yellow greenish as it fades away.

There is no magic that can make hickey disappear overnight- it has to take time like any other type of bruise. Do not use a remedy you are not sure about. Some people might advise you to rub it with ridiculous items- please don’t do it. Forget about the mythical remedies and follow these 15 certified methods that actually work.

You should use the cold methods as soon as you receive a hickey. When your boyfriend sucks your skin a little harder, the blood passing through the soft skin leaks from the blood capillaries and clots that burst. Therefore, one way to reduce the amount of blood flowing to the affected area is by minimizing the size of the hickey.

Use a paper towel to wrap some ice packs and place them on the hickey; hold them for 10 minutes. Firmly press your skin as you move the ice packs around the hickey. Do this as many times for the first time. Never let the ice contact your skin directly. This method makes the broken blood vessels to constrict and bleeding is reduced. Cold compressing prevents swelling and can relieve pain as well.

In this method, you will need several metallic spoons- put them in the freezer and let them stay for 10 minutes or so. Take one spoon at a time, rub it against your bruised skin until it gets warm (use the back of the spoon), and then place it back in the freezer. Like the ice packs, cold spoons inhibit blood flow to the hickey. As you rub the spoon against your skin, the blood which is coagulated in the bruise is broken down thereby reducing the redness of the hickey. Again, do not be so aggressive- be gentle to avoid manipulation or irritating the affected skin. The cold ice reduces the oozing of blood from the broken vessels to your skin. Doing this a few times combats swelling and the hickey will recede.

Most people think of this method as ridiculous but it is one of the most effective remedies. It is something you can do in your home’s comfort. The interior of a banana peel has a cooling and soothing effect that shrinks a hickey very fast. Just peel a ripe banana and place the inner side on your love bite for 20 minutes (cut a piece that’s equivalent to the size of your hickey). Repeat the process at least three times on the first day and you will get rid of the hickey fast.

Hot compressing is recommended for stubborn hickeys which don’t seem to go away after two days of cold compressing. Never apply this remedy within 48 hours of getting a hickey. Get rid of a hickey through these hot methods.

This is how you do it: saturate a towel or heating pad in hot water. Wring it out and put it on the hickey for several minutes. You can reheat the towel when it gets cold. If you didn’t know, you can get a heating pad from a pharmacy. When the hickey warms up, massage it firmly using your fingers. In a circular movement, rub from the center of the kiss mark and work your way outwards. This way, you will be breaking the coagulated blood and pushing it from the inside of blood capillaries. Don’t be afraid to apply a little pressure as you drag your fingers across the hickey edges. Repeat this process three times in a day.

In this method, just make sure that the bottle is not too hot and make sure that the hickey is at least 48 hours old. Excessive heat may further damage the blood vessels which have not yet healed and the hickey would only get bigger. Moderate heat from a hot water bottle assists in dilation of blood vessels so that fresh blood may flow in to mitigate the mess. You can then massage the area to enhance blood circulation. Normally, when blood vessels heal, blood clots are left under your skin. This clotted blood is slowly dispersed and reabsorbed into the capillaries but you can speed up the process through hot compressing. That’s why the application of a hot water bottle makes the hickey to disappear fast.

Take a toothbrush with stiff bristles or a comb and brush the love bite for ten minutes. Apply moderate pressure so you don’t scratch or cause more damage. You can also use a vibrating brush. The method assists in breaking up and spreading the blood around a hickey so that it can be reabsorbed fast to clear the bruise mark.

Oils and lotions with mint are known for increasing blood circulation around the skin. In case you don’t have these products, you can use a mint toothpaste. When you apply a thin layer of the toothpaste, you will notice some tingling effects. The tingling will stop after a while- use a damp cloth to remove the toothpaste or peppermint oil. Do not overdo this treatment because it can irritate your skin. It is very effective in increasing blood circulation and breaking up clotted blood.

Warning! The coin method can be painful but it helps a lot. Be careful not to worsen the situation. You can use any coin- euro, penny, quarter, rupee, nickel, etc. With two fingers, pull back two sides of the kiss mark and stretch it. With the edge of your coin, scrape away the hickey. The idea is to lessen the density of the blood around the hickey. Scrape the hickey away from its center so that the blood becomes easier to be reabsorbed. By the time you are done scraping the hickey, your skin will turn red but don’t worry because it will disappear in the next few minutes.

There are various medicinal solutions that can help you deal with painful hickeys. They include drugs, creams, and lotions. One precaution though: never mix any drug without the help of a physician and learn their side effects first. Some of the drugs you can take include Excedrin and aspirin. Excedrin consists of Acetaminophen, caffeine, and aspirin. Acetaminophen is a painkiller while caffeine and aspirin make your blood thinner hence increasing circulation and fast healing. However, you cannot take aspirin immediately after receiving a love bite. Wait for a day or two before you take aspirin.

The best time to apply vitamins is immediately after receiving a love bite. These vitamins are found in most beauty creams but do not expect overnight outcomes. Vitamin K works by preventing clotting of blood that’s the reason it is used in the treatment of bruises, including hickeys. By inhibiting blood coagulation, vitamin A helps the body to reabsorb fast blood that has collected around the kiss mark, speeding up the healing process. Vitamin E is best known for enhancing blood circulation. It is found abundantly in Aloe Vera which is a wonderful moisturizer. Aloe Vera products help to mitigate the sensitivity of a hickey and vitamin E in them facilitates faster healing. The other vitamin you should take is vitamin C which is found in citrus fruits like oranges. Vitamin C has bleaching qualities and so will help to clear the discoloration of a hickey. Take orange juice as soon as you realize a kiss mark on your skin for better results. You can also apply orange juice directly to the bruised area but do it as soon as possible and the hickey will disappear in the fastest time.

These are substances that help to minimize swelling of bruises. They include Arnica Salve, Witch Hazel, and Preparation H. The latter is made for other applications but it is very effective in treating hickeys. Witch Hazel and Arnica Salve are homeopathic ingredients that treat inflammations and skin bruises. Witch Hazel, in particular, constricts damaged blood capillaries so they reduce to their normal sizes. These two products will indeed help you get rid of a hickey.

Like the other methods mentioned above- coin remedy and toothbrush and comb- massaging a hickey helps to break hemoglobin in the clotted blood and increase blood circulation. Press the bruise firmly with your fingers to scatter the clot and soon the red color will disappear. The effectiveness of a massage is determined by the severity of the hickey. To enhance the massage, apply some essential oils and rub the area in a circular motion in a single direction. You can change the direction of the motion after a few minutes. After the massage, a few outlines may emerge.

This method is effective if used immediately after the hickey occurs. Alcohol has a cooling effect that soothes the damaged skin. It is also a disinfectant and helps the hickey to heal fast. To apply alcohol on a hickey, soak a ball of cotton and massage the affected area for a few minutes. The discomfort will disappear quickly. Afterwards, use a moisturizing lotion on the bruise to prevent dehydration.

From the day you get a hickey, try these two items several times every day. They help to increase blood circulation around the affected area. Get a pen cap, a lipstick cap, or a ChapStick cap and press it on the hickey. Press the object firmly into the hickey but do not hurt yourself in the process. As you press, twist the cap in a way that twists your skin as well. You need to apply a lot of pressure and hold on for fifteen minutes. Repeat severally.

If you try every method mentioned in this guide but to no avail, you can hide the kiss mark. Perhaps you got the mark last night and you have an urgent meeting in the morning. Since there is no way it can disappear overnight, the only option left is to hide it. How can you hide a hickey? First, you need to get creative. A turtleneck can do but what if the weather is too hot? The last thing you want is to look ridiculous by stuffing up your neck or arm. Ensure that no matter what you choose to hide the hickey, you check the mirror fist to ascertain that it is hidden indeed. Examples of clothing materials that will help you hide a hickey include scarves, sleeves, band-aid, collared shirts, and turtlenecks. The other method you can hide a hickey is the application of makeup. Even men can try this: use a green corrector on the red mark (green will make it less visible because it is the opposite of red). Then mix your skin tome concealer with a yellow one till you get a tone that matches your skin. Use a makeup brush to apply over the hickey’s outline. Dab the area to distribute the concealer evenly so that it blends easily with the surrounding skin. You may add a foundation cream for an extra touch.

So you went out with your boyfriend last night and things got hot. You woke up today and the first thing you noticed when you checked yourself in the mirror is a hickey. Rest assured no one is going to be your fan. The methods explained are tested and proven to rid you of a hickey fast. Note that you will not get results overnight. The only way you can keep it off-sight instantly is by hiding. Before you begin getting rid of a hickey, there are certain things you ought to know. Solutions that involve cold treatment are the most effective when applied as soon as you get the hickey. Strive to treat the love bite as soon as you can- don’t wait too long. On the other hand, the heat methods are most appropriate for a hickey which has been apparent for two or more days. Never use the heat method when the kiss mark is still fresh- the hickey will get worse and it would be harder to eliminate it. Embarrassing as it may be, you must be smart when dealing with a hickey. Do not be aggressive trying to get rid of it- you might burn yourself or cause a severe bruise. Stay safe and don’t panic, your mum can’t kill you for a hickey.