Table of Contents
A hickey is a bruise from someone sucking on your skin hard enough to rupture capillaries. It’s not a medical emergency, but it’s not great for Monday morning meetings either. Here’s how to get rid of it.
1. Apply a Cold Compress As Soon as Possible
This is the most effective method. Period.
A hickey is a bruise, so treat it like any other superficial injury. Apply a cold compress, ice pack, cold wet cloth, or even a cold spoon to the area. When someone sucks on your neck long enough, it ruptures the blood vessels right below the skin surface. Blood pools beneath, creating that reddish-purple blotch.
The cold slows the rate at which blood leaks from the ruptured capillaries into surrounding skin. It also reduces inflammation, which helps with some of the redness. Use a cold compress at least 10 times a day for the first 2-3 days.
2. Apply Heat
After three days of cold treatment, switch to heat. A warm compress boosts blood circulation, which accelerates healing and fades the hickey faster. A cloth dampened with warm water works fine. Do this at least 10 times a day for another 2-3 days.
3. Massage the Area to Boost Blood Flow
Gentle massage boosts circulation to the bruised area. Rub your hickey for 3-5 minutes three times a day until the bruise starts fading. Be gentle. Too much pressure can re-rupture healing blood vessels and make things worse.
Tapping on the hickey with your index and middle fingers works just as well.
4. Add Some Peppermint Oil to Your Massage
Peppermint essential oil stimulates blood flow, which fades the hickey faster and reduces its severity in the first few days. Use essential oil (not cooking extract). Never use pure essential oils straight from the bottle. Always dilute with a carrier oil like olive or coconut oil.
Mix two drops of essential oil in 10-12 drops of carrier oil. Patch test first by rubbing a small amount on the inside of your forearm and leaving it for 24 hours. If there’s no irritation, apply it to the hickey twice a day for a couple of days. If your skin gets irritated, dilute further with two more drops of carrier oil and patch test again.
5. Apply Vitamin K Cream
Topical vitamin K fades bruises fast by speeding up your skin’s healing process. You can grab it at most drug stores. Vitamin K plays a critical role in proper blood clotting, so it makes sense that it works here.
Apply the cream 2-3 times a day. You can boost results by eating more vitamin K-rich foods (pork, poultry, soybeans, green leafy vegetables) to accelerate healing from the inside out.
6. Apply Vitamin C Cream
While you’re at the drug store grabbing vitamin K cream, pick up topical vitamin C too. It boosts collagen production (which strengthens tissue around ruptured blood vessels) and has powerful antioxidant properties that heal hickeys quickly. Apply 2-3 times daily.
7. How to Get Rid of Hickeys with Banana Peels
Banana peels are rich in antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins. They have soothing properties when applied to bruised skin that speed up healing.
Place the inside part of the banana peel on the hickey for at least 30 minutes. For best results, leave it on until the peel turns brown. Do this three times a day until the hickey fades.
8. Cover the Hickey With Makeup
None of the methods above will fade your hickey in hours. They’ll speed up healing, but you’re looking at at least five days before it’s gone.
Need a temporary fix? Makeup. Not lipstick. Concealer and foundation. Blend it properly or you’ll look worse than you started.
9. Throw On a Scarf or Turtleneck
Another temporary solution. Showing up to your parents’ house for Sunday dinner with a visible hickey is awkward for everyone involved.
Wear a turtleneck until it fades. If the weather’s warm, use a scarf. You can look cute while concealing a hickey. Switch up your style every couple days to make it less obvious.
10. Get Laser Treatment
Yes, really. For roughly $350 or more, you can book a laser treatment session with a dermatologist to get rid of your hickey. It’s drastic, but it’s extremely effective. The laser targets pooled blood cells underneath your skin surface and breaks them up to accelerate healing. Those pooled blood cells are what cause the discoloration.
The hickey won’t fade immediately, but you’ll see huge improvement within 3-4 days.
Want to avoid spending $350 on a hickey? Prevention beats cure. If your partner was going to town on your neck, grab an ice pack immediately and apply it to the area. Then follow up with the other techniques above.