How to Get Rid of a Hickey Fast

Hickeys are usually not painful or dangerous for the receiver and mean different to different people. To some, they are something to be proud of and a sign of love while to others they are often not desired and need to be hidden or removed. This article is designed to improve your knowledge about hickeys such as how to remove them, hide them or give them to your partner according to your needs.

What is a Hickey?

A hickey, also known as a love bite, bug bite or a kiss mark, is a bruise caused by biting, sucking or aggressively kissing of the soft skin usually around the neck or on the arm. When a person aggressively kisses your soft skin, small, superficial blood vessels, known as capillaries, are broken, letting the blood seep out into the surrounding tissue. Hickeys are initially red in color but turn dark purple or brown as they heal.

After asking, “What is a hickey?” most people want to know whom they can be given to. A hickey is not gender-exclusive; both men and women can get one from their partners. The fact that hickeys are most common among women does not mean that men cannot get them.

How long do Hickeys Last?

If you have a hickey, the first question that comes to mind is, “How long does a hickey last?” A hickey is not a permanent mark. It fades with time and does not leave any scar behind. If untreated, hickeys typically last about 5 to 12 days. However, hickeys may linger for some time because of:

• Harshness- some hickeys are more severe than others are and take a longer time to heal. The amount of damage done to the blood vessels in the skin will affect the time it takes for the hickey to fade away.
• Personal Health- your personal health also affects how long you will have to live with a hickey. The healthier you are, the faster the hickey will fade.

How to Get Rid of a Hickey?

Most people consider hickeys an embarrassment and inappropriate, especially in professional, social or family environments. If you are such a person, here are methods on how to get rid of hickeys fast.

1. Cold Compress

The use of cold compressing constricts the broken blood capillaries and reduces bleeding. To use this hickey removal method, wrap several ice cubes in a towel and press it on the affected area. Hold the ice cubes in place for about 10 minutes. The use of ice relieves pain caused by hickeys, if any, and prevents swelling of the skin. Avoid placing the ice onto your skin directly to prevent ice burn and frostbite, which will damage your skin.

You may use a metallic spoon in place of ice cubes. Place the spoon in a freezer for about 10 minutes. Take the spoon out and wrap it with a cloth. Rub the affected area gently with the spoon or press it into the skin.

Cold compress methods should be used as many times as possible during the day. The more you do it, the faster the hickey will fade.

2. Massage

Massaging the hickey scatters the clotted blood and reduces its color. You can use any essential oil. Massage the hickey by placing two fingers over the affected area and rubbing them in a circular motion in one direction. After a minute or two, change the direction of motion and continue rubbing. Make sure that you rub the hickey firmly.

After massaging the hickey, you may notice a few outlines, but this is rare. How effective massaging is on a hickey depends on its severity.

3. Use a Toothbrush

A new toothbrush is preferred for this method. Brush the hickey and the area around it using a stiff-bristled toothbrush or a comb. Brushing the affected area helps to stimulate blood circulation. Avoid pressing too hard while brushing because it might make the hickey much worse.

• Wait for about 15 minutes to see the results.
• The swelling and redness will spread, but it will become a lot less obvious after 15 minutes.
• Apply a cold compress to the area.

Repeat the procedure if necessary. Depending on the severity of your hickey, this method may work at the first attempt or just cause the discoloration to spread a little. If you are lucky, it will help you get rid of a hickey fast.

4. Scraping

This is the most painful method used to remove hickeys, but it can produce great results if you choose to use it. To do it, stretch the skin around your hickey until it is flat. You can do this by pulling the skin away from the hickey on opposite ends. Once this is done, scrape the skin using the edge of a large coin. Your motion should be similar to that of applying butter to bread, that is, it should spread outward.

This method requires you to scrape the skin as hard as you can, but not so much as to break the skin or hurt yourself. This method pushes the clotted blood out of the surface skin.

After scraping, your skin may be a little tender and reddened, but the redness fades a lot faster than the hickey. The scrapes are also much less conspicuous than hickeys.

5. Hot Compress

How do you get rid of hickeys that are proving stubborn? Hot compressing is recommended for hickeys that are proving to be hard to deal with. To use this method, saturate a washcloth in hot water. Wring the cloth out properly and place it on the affected area for a few minutes. Reheat the cloth if necessary.

The heat from the cloth helps to dilate blood capillaries and make way for fresh new blood to circulate to the hickey and clear up the mess.

In place of a washcloth, you can use a reusable heat patch. They are easy to use, cheap and stay hot for longer. You can get one at your local pharmacy. Alternatively, use your hair dryer to heat the area while you massage it with your fingers.

6. Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol works on the hickey if it has only been around for a few hours. It has cooling, soothing and disinfectant properties that help to get rid of a hickey quickly. It is seen as the fastest way to get rid of a hickey.

• Apply rubbing alcohol to the hickey using a ball of cotton.
• Gently massage the area for several minutes to help minimize any discomfort. Once you are done, make sure that you apply a moisturizing lotion because rubbing alcohol can dehydrate the skin.
• Rubbing alcohol to a hickey should be done a few times a day for one or two days.

7. Peppermint

Peppermint has a stimulant effect that helps to improve blood circulation. It also aids the healing of capillary vessels. Apply a little peppermint oil gently on the affected area. You may feel a tingling sensation after application, but it will fade after some time.

You can use peppermint-based toothpaste as an alternative to peppermint oil.

• Rub a layer of toothpaste over the hickey gently and leave it there for several minutes.
• When the area stops tingling, use a warm washcloth to remove the toothpaste.
• The use of toothpaste produces the best results if it is done as soon after you got the hickey as possible.

Peppermint should not be used more than once daily because it can cause skin irritation. If you do not have access to peppermint oil, you can use almond oil or olive oil.

8. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a natural moisturizer well known for its anti-inflammatory and soothing qualities. It lessens skin sensitivity in the affected area and speeds up the healing of the broken capillaries.

Rub aloe extract on the affected area and massage it two to three times a day. If you do not have access to the plant or do not want to apply the sticky substance on your skin, an Aloe Vera based cream or lotion should do the job for you.

9. Orange

Oranges are a good source of Vitamin C, which is vital for the healing of bruises. The vitamin also has bleaching properties that can help clear hickeys as soon as possible.

Drink fresh orange juice as soon as you notice a hickey. It assists in the healing process. You can also prepare and apply an orange pack directly onto the affected area. If timed well, the use of oranges can help you remove a hickey quickly.

10. Banana Peelings

Want to know how to remove a hickey in the comfort of your home? Banana peels are the answer for you. Banana peels have soothing and cooling properties that will help minimize your hickey fast.

• Cut a fresh piece of banana peel from a ripe banana.
• The peel you cut should be roughly the same size as your hickey.
• Place the inside of the banana peel on the hickey and leave it there for 10 to 30 minutes.
• If you do these either two or three times a day, the size of your hickey should reduce significantly.

11. Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is an effective healing agent for hickeys and other bruises. It promotes the growth of skin tissue and is an excellent moisturizer. If you choose to use cocoa butter to remove your hickey, you should apply it after a warm compress to increase its effectiveness. Remember to massage the area for a while after application of cocoa butter.

12. Vitamin K

Vitamin K prevents the clotting of blood and can be used to treat hickeys. Its anticoagulant qualities help your body to reabsorb pooled blood. It also expedites the healing process of your hickey.

Apply a lotion or cream that is rich in Vitamin K to the hickey two to three times a day until it has vanished completely. You can also eat foods that are rich in the vitamin or buy vitamin supplement to facilitate the healing process.

13. Arnica Salve

Arnica salve is a medically proven healing ointment. It reduces soreness and swelling when applied to a hickey. It also aids the repair of broken blood capillaries in the skin. If you are wondering how to get rid of hickeys, Arnica salve can do it for you.

How to Hide a Hickey?

Having to answer questions about how you got a hickey can be very embarrassing. Since you do not know how to get rid of a hickey overnight, preventing anyone from seeing your hickey is the best way to protect yourself from the embarrassment. If you want to know how to hide a hickey, here are three ways you can do it.

1. Makeup

If someone asked you how to cover up a hickey, makeup would probably be the first thing to come to mind. Makeup helps you to cover your hickey without having to cover your neck.
The most effective makeup in covering up your hickey is green-tinted concealer. The concealer is designed to negate red tones in the skin.

First, apply yellow corrector to the inside of your hickey. Use green corrector on the outside to cancel out the yellow tone. Then, apply a foundation that is a little lighter than your skin tone on and around the hickey. If that does not do the job, apply a suitable concealer on top to hide the hickey effectively.

2. Clothing

Wear a scarf, a collared shirt or blouse, or a turtleneck to cover the hickey. However, do not dress in a manner that will attract too much attention. For example, wearing a turtleneck in the middle of summer only shows that you have something to hide.

Dress in a manner that will attract people’s attention to your chest and away from your neck. Avoid any item of clothing that has elaborate and eye-catching designs around the neck. You can also accessorize your dressing with a long necklace that will draw attention away from your neck.

You can also hide the hickey with a band-aid and a little white lie. Make up something like, “Silly me, I burnt myself with the curling iron!” They will find it difficult to believe, but it will save you the embarrassment of being “caught” with a hickey.

3. Hair

If you have long hair, have it styles so that it covers up your hickey. Always remember to check constantly to ensure that the hickey is well covered by your hair. The chaos in your everyday activities may leave it exposed at times.

How to Give a Hickey?

Having been a victim of a hickey, you may be seeking payback. Make sure your partner actually wants one before giving him or her a hickey. However, if you want to give your partner a hickey for another reason, here is how to give someone a hickey.

1. Know the Why

Before you give someone a hickey, try to understand why you are doing it. Hickeys are a primitive way of “marking territory” and they symbolize love and trust between people. You do not give your partner a hickey just because you know how to give a hickey; a hickey is a lot more than just a bruise.

Giving someone a hickey can cause them pain, and some people do not believe in them. They do not see how causing a loved one pain can be a symbol of love.

2. Be considerate

Try to find out what your partner’s feelings about hickeys are. Some people do not like hickeys or see them as an inconvenience. Others treasure them and see them as a mark of affection. Knowing how your partner feels about having a hickey will help you decide whether to proceed. It might also prevent any problems giving a hickey might cause.

3. How do you give a Hickey?

There are several ways to give a hickey. You can do it by sucking, kissing aggressively or biting the tender flesh found on the neck, the crook of the elbow or the inner thigh. If you want the hickey to be seen, the neck is the best choice. Sucking is the easiest way to give someone a hickey.

• To give your partner a hickey, place your mouth on their neck in a kissing shape.
• Your lips should be partially open such that they form an “O” shape. Suck the person’s skin into your mouth.
• The sucking has to be hard enough to cause the blood capillaries in the skin to rupture. You should keep the sucking up for about 30 seconds.
• If you find this to be uncomfortable, you can do it intermittently, but in the same area, about 10 seconds each time.

If you are not good at sucking, you can use your teeth to give the hickey. Nibble on your partner’s neck for some time to achieve this. However, this technique should be used as a last resort since you might end up hurting your partner. It is not too romantic either.

4. Wait for the Results

After you have finished, wait for the hickey to appear. Like most bruises, hickeys can take 5 to 10 minutes to appear. If you want to make the hickey a little darker after it has appeared, you can suck on it a little more.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can learn three simple things about hickeys:

• First, a hickey is an injury. It needs to be allowed to heal. If you have a severe hickey or several hickeys that are causing you pain, you can remove them using the methods discussed.
• Second, a hickey can cause you a measure of embarrassment or discomfort. If you are not comfortable with a hickey, you can choose to conceal or remove it. You can conceal a hickey using makeup, hair or clothing.
• Finally, a hickey is a symbol of love. If your partner gave you a hickey, whether intentional or accidental, it should not be a cause of conflict between you. Giving you a hickey is a sign of how much they value you.

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