How to Get Rid of a Hickey

A hickey, also known as a love bite, is a slang term to describe the decoration that occurs in the skin around the neck area due to getting lightly bit or sucked by another person in that part. Usually, couples do it as a way to mark their territory or sometimes as a remembrance of a fun time together. Secondly, an injury or a skin infection can also appear like a hickey. This post is intended to help you get rid of the hickey most easily and naturally.

Why are hickeys considered unprofessional? Should I get rid of it fast?

A hickey is considered unprofessional only if you work in communicative jobs like sales, retail clerk, hotel receptionist, or an actor. In a job that involves interacting with a customer, face to face, you simply cannot come off as a person having bad judgment. And, yes, modern society does label a person with a hickey as someone who has a lack of experience and knowledge on social dynamics. People can be judgemental sometimes.

Otherwise, it is perfectly normal to show up at work with a bruise on your neck. Furthermore, a hickey can be caused by many other ways. What if you slipped off the ground and hurt your neck? A slip can result in a bruise. So, there is no reason to be embarrassed about having a hickey. Although, it would be better to hide it or speed up the healing process if your co-workers or employer come from a conservative and polite background. 

The best ways to get rid of a hickey

1) Apply ice on the affected area

You can reduce the swelling and darkening of skin to a great degree by applying some ice within a few hours of getting your skin bit or sucked. The bruise that you get from a hickey is mainly a result of blood capillaries dying off or leaking into surrounding muscle tissue. The severe the bite or suction, the darker your skin appears. Hence, the key to getting rid of a hickey is to lower the temperature of the injured tissue.

2) Aloe Vera gel

The topical application of Aloe Vera gel can help you get rid of a hickey fast. Aloe Vera is a remedial plant originating Arabian Peninsula. For centuries, it is effectively being used to treat skin ailments and wounds. But now, even the researchers believe that this medicinal plant can help heal skin blisters and blemishes faster. 

An experiment was done by researchers at the University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran, to prove the efficacy of Aloe Vera as a topical ointment to heal wounds in rats. Three groups were formed: control, low-dosage and high dosage group.

An incision was created in a particular area of their body. After 10 days of treatment with topical Aloe Vera, the researchers concluded that the application of Aloe Vera not only enhanced wound contraction but also helped align the regenerated scar tissue.

3) Vitamin K

According to LiveScience, vitamin K is also known as “blood-clotting vitamin” as there is no other vitamin that contributes as much to the skin wound healing process. Since you are interested in getting rid of a hickey within a couple of days, it is best to apply vitamin k rich substances topically on your skin. 

There are several topical vitamin k-based ointments available in the market. Just head out to your nearest drug store and ask the chemist for it. The good news is, you don’t need a prescription for a vitamin k-based topical cream. 

If you have any doubts about the efficacy of vitamin k as a hickey-healer, a randomized controlled trial was executed to see whether the claims of vitamin k a “blood-clotting vitamin” is true or not. Researchers concluded that the application of vitamin k-based ointment can increase wound contraction and lower the time to full recovery.

4) Rub the affected area with a coin

Rubbing the affected area with a coin or a penny is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get rid of a hickey. Hold the coin in between your index finger and thumb, and rub the side of the coin on the scar. Doing this will trigger the blood flow in the neck area. This might seem risky at first, but I can assure you that there are no side effects. Plus, you can do it anywhere and anytime.

5) Massage the area with an essential oil

If rubbing a coin over the affected area seems too painful or the hickey–in your case– is a severe one, then you can consider massaging the skin with an essential oil like peppermint oil. Massaging directly on a severe wound is not a good idea. It will most certainly aggravate the condition. However, if your only concern is getting rid of the discolored patches on your neck, circulatory massage with your fingers will get the blood flowing again.

6) Arnica ointment

Arnica is a sunflower-like therapeutic flower originating from Greece. It is considered to be a specialist in healing bruised tissue. There are several reasons to apply Arnica ointment on your discolored hick.  

According to one of the manufacturers of Arnica cream, it has two primary characteristics in bruise healing: Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic. Arnica is loaded with two key components: Helenalin and Thymol. Both essential in speeding up the recovery time. Lastly, it also reduces pain in the affected area so you can go to work and continue to do your daily chores– your day won’t get ruined.

Conclusion

Mistakes do happen. If you woke up this morning to see dark spots on your neck area, do not panic. You can take some easy steps so other people don’t judge you for what you have done. The best way to hide a hickey while using the above-mentioned remedies is to use a concealer. A concealer will hide the hickey as long as you don’t wash your neck area.

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