How to Remove a Hickey?

Just because you’ve had a romantic night doesn’t mean the whole world needs to know…right? Lucky for you, this tutorial tells you how to hide the evidence. Below are the most common, effective methods to relieve and tone down your hickey.

Method 1: Cold Compress

A hickey breaks blood capillaries on the surface of the skin. Cold compresses constrict blood vessels and minimize blood flow to the area. You could use a damp washcloth dipped in ice-cold water, an ice pack, or a chilled spoon left in the freezer for 30 minutes. Hold any of these on the spot for 10 minutes at a time and re-apply every 2 hours, at least 5-6 times a day. Do this for 1 or 2 days – the hickey will become less visible.

Method 2: Warm Compress

The cold compress can be followed by heat application from day thee. Use a heating pad or a soft cloth dampened with warm water. Apply for 20 minutes at a time, as many times a day as possible. Give an hour between applications for the skin to cool down.

The warm compress increases blood flow, promotes healing, and lightens the hickey. Heat compresses can also be used to massage the hickey as well to disperse clotted blood away from the injury.

Method 3: Blood Dispersal

You can use any of the options below to break up the clotted or accumulated blood in a hickey. This promotes faster healing because the body can circulate dispersed blood faster. Be careful when using these methods to not exert too much force as it could exacerbate the pain.

Toothpaste Technique

Run the bristles of a toothbrush on the hickey applying light pressure. It can be done for 5-10 minutes, best followed by a cold compress to soothe the area. The hickey won’t disappear overnight, but the color should fade a little over a few hours.

Cylindrical Technique

Use a cylindrical surface like lipstick, glue stick, or pen cap. Press it down on the hickey, applying just enough pressure without aggravating the pain. Twist the cylindrical object on the injury, so the surrounding skin twists around the object – hold this position for about 10-20 seconds. Repeat 10-15 times a day to improve blood circulation to the area.

Coin Technique

The coin works as a cylindrical object too, but in this case, its edges are used to gently scrape the hickey from the center outwards to push clotted blood into the bloodstream. Scrape gently so as to not break the surface and expect a few minutes of redness. Sanitize, wash or disinfect your coin before use to prevent the spread of bacteria that could infect the hickey.

Method 4: Arnica

Arnica-based creams and gels can be very effective in healing wounds and bruises. This herbaceous plant extract contains helenalin, a natural anti-histamine that brings down swelling. You can also get oral arnica from the pharmacy since it's an OTC (over-the-counter) homeopathic medication.

Method 5: Aloe Vera

The jelly-like pulp of the aloe vera plant moisturizes the skin. Its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties speed up healing. It is mostly safe and non-sensitizing, but some people may have allergies. If you have redness or a rash, wipe it off with a soft tissue. Aloe vera can be applied for 10 minutes, twice a day.

Method 6: Vitamin-K and Vitamin-C

Eat it or apply it, Vitamin K is super beneficial. Start off by upping your consumption of Vitamin K rich foods like broccoli, poultry, eggs, liver, brown rice, pork, and spinach. You can also take supplements with medical approval.

A quicker option is applying Vitamin K creams topically once or twice daily. It clears bruises faster by speeding up clotted blood absorption by the body.

Just as with Vitamin K, you could pack on Vitamin C rich foods like nightshades, citrus, berries, pineapple, and others. Or directly apply Vitamin C creams/gel that strengthens skin cells, increases skin elasticity, and boosts collagen production, all of which help clear a bruise quicker. It also makes the surrounding skin plump, healthy, and smooth.

Along the same lines, cocoa butter helps with wrinkles, fine lines, and stretch marks. The phytochemicals and fatty acid content nourish skin and are curative for skin wounds. It can be tried on a hickey, although some commercial brands contain added chemicals that be irritants.

Method 7: Banana Peel

Press the inside of a ripe banana peel against the hickey. Banana peels have many medicinal nutrients and antioxidants that calm and cool down irritated skin. Either hold it still or gently massage it into the hickey for about 15-30 duration or until the peel turns brown. Do this 2-3 times daily.

In a similar vein, try pressing a slice of pineapple against the agitated skin. Keep in mind, pineapple can sting because of its acidity, and this might rile your skin up more. But if it is just a slight sting, keep it on the hickey a couple of times a day for a few minutes each. The bromelain enzyme in the pineapple keeps the swelling down- eating a few pieces doesn’t hurt either.

Method 8: Essential Oils

The jury is divided on this remedy. For some, essential oils like peppermint oil can be massaged in lightly on the hickey with 15-20 drops of carrier oil like almond or coconut oil. The menthol content is deemed to be calmative.

Conversely, essential oils can trigger contact dermatitis and irritate your skin further. So do a skin patch test before you try this.

Conclusion

Once you’ve found a method that works for you, try it and then give the hickey a rest. Leave the skin alone and give it time to breathe and heal like any other bruise. Repeated prodding, poking, and touching won't help.

If these methods don’t work or are working too slowly, you don’t have to avoid going out. As a last-ditch effort, apply green concealer/eyeshadow to offset the red/purple color of the hickey. The touch-up with a dab of skin-color concealer.