Discover effective tips and remedies to help fade and heal a hickey quickly, from cold and hot compresses to vitamins, herbal treatments, and makeup concealment.
Medically speaking, a hickey is a subcutaneous hematoma that occurs due to damage in the lining of a blood vessel, which allows blood to escape into the surrounding tissues and skin. In layman's terms, a hickey is simply a bruise. It typically appears as a reddish mark caused by biting or sucking the skin too hard. While a hickey generally fades within a few days, some can last for weeks. If you are embarrassed to be seen with this mark, there are ways to get rid of it. Here are some tips on how to speed up the healing process:
- Apply ice to the area. This is the most common remedy for getting rid of hickeys. Apply a cold compress to the area for ten minutes. It helps relieve swelling and further reddening of the bruise by reducing blood flow to the damaged blood vessels. It is important to apply ice as soon as possible so you only have to deal with a minimal amount of bleeding.
- After a day, apply a hot compress to the area. This helps increase blood flow so that the blood which escaped from the damaged vessel lining is reabsorbed more quickly. Do this for ten minutes, and then apply ice once again to reduce any swelling caused by the heat.
- Take vitamins to quicken the healing process and prevent bruising. There are several vitamins you can apply topically as a cream or take orally as a supplement, including vitamins K, C, E, and zinc. Vitamin K can be used internally or as a cream; it plays an important role in blood clotting, thereby helping to speed up the healing of hickeys. Vitamin C also hastens the healing process, while vitamin E supposedly heals damaged blood vessels faster. Zinc plays a vital role in your body's metabolism and healing.
- Use herbal remedies. Although there is little medical evidence supporting the effectiveness of these remedies in healing a hickey, there is no harm in trying them. You can apply comfrey cream to your skin, as comfrey is a common herbal remedy for treating bruises and cuts. Cabbages also have anti-inflammatory properties; heat a crushed cabbage leaf before applying it to your skin. Additionally, you can try arnica, witch hazel, and calendula creams to help heal the hickey.
- Use makeup to conceal the hickey. Using a concealer stick is the simplest and fastest way to hide a hickey. Use a concealer brush to blend it over the area. Since most hickeys are red, you can use a green color-correcting concealer. Cover it with foundation to hide it as completely as possible.
Since most hickeys appear on the neck, you can try wearing a scarf or a turtleneck to hide it if none of these suggestions work.
How to Speed Up the Healing of a Hickey
Discover effective tips and remedies to help fade and heal a hickey quickly, from cold and hot compresses to vitamins, herbal treatments, and makeup concealment.
Medically speaking, a hickey is a subcutaneous hematoma that occurs due to damage in the lining of a blood vessel, which allows blood to escape into the surrounding tissues and skin. In layman's terms, a hickey is simply a bruise. It typically appears as a reddish mark caused by biting or sucking the skin too hard. While a hickey generally fades within a few days, some can last for weeks. If you are embarrassed to be seen with this mark, there are ways to get rid of it. Here are some tips on how to speed up the healing process:
- Apply ice to the area. This is the most common remedy for getting rid of hickeys. Apply a cold compress to the area for ten minutes. It helps relieve swelling and further reddening of the bruise by reducing blood flow to the damaged blood vessels. It is important to apply ice as soon as possible so you only have to deal with a minimal amount of bleeding.
- After a day, apply a hot compress to the area. This helps increase blood flow so that the blood which escaped from the damaged vessel lining is reabsorbed more quickly. Do this for ten minutes, and then apply ice once again to reduce any swelling caused by the heat.
- Take vitamins to quicken the healing process and prevent bruising. There are several vitamins you can apply topically as a cream or take orally as a supplement, including vitamins K, C, E, and zinc. Vitamin K can be used internally or as a cream; it plays an important role in blood clotting, thereby helping to speed up the healing of hickeys. Vitamin C also hastens the healing process, while vitamin E supposedly heals damaged blood vessels faster. Zinc plays a vital role in your body's metabolism and healing.
- Use herbal remedies. Although there is little medical evidence supporting the effectiveness of these remedies in healing a hickey, there is no harm in trying them. You can apply comfrey cream to your skin, as comfrey is a common herbal remedy for treating bruises and cuts. Cabbages also have anti-inflammatory properties; heat a crushed cabbage leaf before applying it to your skin. Additionally, you can try arnica, witch hazel, and calendula creams to help heal the hickey.
- Use makeup to conceal the hickey. Using a concealer stick is the simplest and fastest way to hide a hickey. Use a concealer brush to blend it over the area. Since most hickeys are red, you can use a green color-correcting concealer. Cover it with foundation to hide it as completely as possible.
Since most hickeys appear on the neck, you can try wearing a scarf or a turtleneck to hide it if none of these suggestions work.
How to Speed Up the Healing of a Hickey
By Howtodotips
Discover effective tips and remedies to help fade and heal a hickey quickly, from cold and hot compresses to vitamins, herbal treatments, and makeup concealment.