The Best Way To Get Rid Of A Hickey
So you woke up with a hickey? It happens, usually when you're not paying attention during a passionate night — you wake up to find a love bite.
A hickey is a bruise that leaves a purple mark on your skin (via WebMD). It happens when the capillaries (tiny blood vessels) break and leak blood, which pools just under your skin, causing the hickey.
Now, all you're thinking is how to get rid of it. According to the Cleveland Clinic, most bruises take about two weeks to heal completely, depending on the size and severity. You'll notice it starting to change color over the healing process until it finally fades away. What happens is the blood that has pooled under your skin gets reabsorbed by your body, healing the hickey and making it disappear.
How can you make it fade faster? What if you have an important meeting? There are a few things you can do to help, but generally, you just have to wait for the hickey to heal.
Steps to make a hickey disappear
Some research published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found that vitamin K and arnica creams can reduce bruising. The research doesn't look at hickeys in particular, but using these creams might help since they are bruises, too. You can find them at your local drugstore, but don't go thinking these creams are going to make your hickey instantly disappear. However, there's no harm in trying — just follow the directions on the package.
You can also ice the area for 10 to 15 minutes on the first day (within 48 hours of getting the hickey). Use an ice pack or some ice cubes wrapped in a towel and repeat throughout the day. Use a warm compress or heating pad the next day and apply several times throughout the day. These steps can help the hickey heal a little faster.
If you have some serious cash, you can get laser treatment to get rid of your hickey. Laser treatments are often used for bruises in people who have had Botox or fillers. Check with a local dermatologist to make an appointment for laser treatment. While it will help the hickey heal faster, it's not going to make it disappear immediately. You will see improvements in a couple of days.
In the meantime, you can don a scarf or a turtleneck and try using some coverup.