Also known as a love bite or kiss mark, a hickey that most of the time appears on the neck can be described as a bruise that is caused by hard kissing or biting. This affects the soft tissues of the body where the thinly walled capillaries found under the skin are put under pressure, and they rupture resulting in the release of blood from the cells around them. The red blemish on the skin are caused by blood clots around the problem area, and they may turn to a blue or dark brown shade due to lack of oxygen. Hickies are usually embarrassing to have as they cause a lot of unnecessary attention, giggles, and stares. For this reason, a person who has them would like them to disappear as fast as possible. Read on to find out some of the most useful ways on how to get rid of a hickey.
Use a cold compress
This technique is most effective when used immediately a person has a hickey. It reduces the size of the hickey by slowing down the flow of blood. There are a different ways this can be achieved such as:
- Using an ice pack or wrapping the ice in a towel before pressing it on the affected area for about 20 minutes.
- Placing several spoons in the freezer and pressing one on the problem area for around 20 minutes before it becomes warm.
Apply heat on the hickey
Try this method on how to get rid of a hickey only if it has been around for at least two days to avoid making things worse. After the burst blood vessels have recovered, the blood that is left under the skin dispenses slowly, and it is reabsorbed into the body. When heat is applied to this area, blood flow increases helping to speed up the reabsorption process something that assists in eliminating the hickey. Ways that can be used to apply heat include:
- Placing a warm compress or hot water bottle on the hickey for 20 minutes.
- Soaking a towel in hot water, and using it on the affected area.
Use a toothbrush
The method works best when the hickey area has been made cold. Get a new brush and rub it off making sure to apply pressure so as to increase blood flow from the problem area to the other tissue parts. When done right, the results should be visible within a few hours. This method is common as the brush usually minimizes the intensity of the discoloration of the affected area by spreading the clotted blood; thus makes the discoloration spread out to a wider area.
Rub alcohol
Rubbing alcohol works best for a person who has had the hickey for a few hours. Alcohol is an essential ingredient when it comes to methods on how to get rid of a hickey as it is a disinfectant, and it has cooling and soothing properties. All you have to do is use a cotton ball to rub the alcohol on the hickey for several minutes for a day or two. Don’t forget to apply moisturizer as rubbing the alcohol can make the skin dry.
Alternate topics
Hickey! What Hickey? Learn how to make it Disappear Fast
No one has to know what you were up to; Discover Tried and Tested Ways of Getting Rid of a Hickey at Home.