A hickey is caused by excessive sucking or kissing. It is actually a bruise that is made on the skin by sucking it. A very common part of foreplay and lovemaking, hickies are quite common especially hickies on the neck. A hickey is nothing but a hematoma wherein there is a blood clot as a result of breakage of blood vessels. The capillaries beneath the surface of the skin burst and then bleed in the areas around the skin. The blood then clots. This then turns red. If the hickey is not just a mild one, then it can even turn purple. The sucking action can actually cause the capillaries to burst causing a hickey. Although, giving a hickey and getting one can be quite pleasurable during lovemaking, getting rid of hickies is almost every lover's concern. It can be quite embarrassing and inappropriate especially in a workplace or other professional and social situations How to remove hickies? There is no instant solution for hickey removal. Applying ice either ice cubes directly to the affected area, or an ice pack or a very cold spoon can do the trick, but this has to be done as soon as possible. No point in waiting for several hours before trying this. Apply these cold compresses for at least fifteen minutes and several times in a day. Brushing the bruise lightly with a comb or a toothbrush is advised by many. Do this very softly; hard brushing can cause more damage to the affected area. Once you are done with the brushing, apply a cold compress. Yet others swear by toothpaste. Some recommend applying eye drops to the hematoma. Once this is applied to the skin, you must wait for a minute or so and rinse it off with cold water. Eye drops supposedly reduce the redness from the skin just as they remove redness from the eyes.
Other home remedies for hickies aloe vera, arnica, Vitamin K, glycerin and calendula officinalis. Arnica makes the swelling subside. Vitamin K helps re-absorption of the blood in the affected area. Pure aloe vera is a natural soothing agent. These cures for hickies are quite effective. More so, they have no side effects. Moist and warm tea bags can also be used to soothe the wound. Do this for around half an hour. Peppermint also helps stimulate blood circulation and makes the blood clot dissipate. However, this should be done only once a day. No home remedy should be practiced excessively as there is no point in irritating the bruise further. Some say that the best way to remove hickies is to conceal them. This is only a temporary removal method, yet it can be quite useful. Applying a foundation to the hickey and the surrounding area will make it “disappear” for a short while. Eye shadow and concealers can also do the trick. The important part is to keep checking on the hickey once in a while, to ensure that it is not showing. If it does show, reapply make-up to hide it again. Another easy way of hiding your hickey is by wearing appropriate clothing that will hide them such as a high collared shirt, a scarf or a turtleneck top. This can be possible for hickies on the breasts, neck and other body parts, but what about hickies on the lips? A matte lip gloss, powder, Vaseline and a matte lip balm will help hiding it a little bit. Do not use anything shiny on the lips, as this will only attract more attention to your lips.
Healing hickies can take quite a while. It all depends on how severe your hickey is. There is no real best way to get rid of hickies. Waiting for it to heal and avoiding getting another hickey in the same spot is one way to let the bruise heal naturally. As you wait to remove the hickey, lightly massage it with cocoa butter, olive oil, almond oil or aloe vera gel. A light massage to the wound will stimulate blood circulation in the affected zone. A hickey is a wound and therefore you need to give it time to heal. Luckily, hickies very rarely leave scars, once they are completely healed, they leave absolutely no trace. What is then the best way to get rid of hickies fast? Basically trying very simple home cures, not irritating the area further and eating the right foods will all help. Vitamin A, Vitamin C and zinc have healing and reparative properties. Fruits and vegetables and nuts should be consumed in plentiful to help your body heal. If the hickey is too severe and painful, have a painkiller and you may also apply a healing balm or cream to the area that has been advised by your doctor and cover the affected zone with dressing.
answered by M W