To help a hickey fade faster, use a cold compress for the first 48 hours to reduce swelling, then switch to a warm compress to increase blood flow and break down the bruise; gently massaging with arnica, vitamin K cream, or aloe vera, and hiding it with makeup are also effective methods, though no trick makes it vanish instantly.
Like other bruises, hickeys can take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks to go away. Hickeys are superficial bruises, which means they are on the surface of your skin. These types of bruises usually don't take as long to heal as deeper bruises like black eyes.
Hickeys are bruises that form when pressure or suction is applied to the skin. There's no proven method to make a hickey disappear, but cool compresses, arnica cream, and creams with vitamin K may help it fade faster. A hickey will fade over time, but it can take up to 2 weeks for it to completely disappear.
Apply warm compresses
Your best bet is to treat your hickey with good old-fashioned warm compresses. “Warm compresses can help open up your body's blood vessels and break down the stain, taking away the red blood cells that have spilled out from the blood vessels and into your skin,” he explains.
Beyond pulse dye laser, Zeichner says that topical creams like Arnica or Vitamin K are your best bet for a speedy recovery. Plus, Zeichner says if the skin barrier is disrupted and the hickey becomes dry or itchy, you can also apply Vaseline petroleum jelly to protect the skin from infection and keep the wound clean.
Lip balm cap
Using the cap from a tube of lip balm to massage the skin is yet another suggestion that pops up all over Google. As with the massage techniques listed above, this won't “break apart” the hickey either.
Find any coin (it is advised that you disinfect this as it will be touching your skin) Using two fingers, pull the skin on either side of your hickey to stretch it out. Now, making use of the edge of the coin, you will need to scrape the surface of the hickey, moving from the centre of the hickey outwards.
A fresh hickey has red or purple tones, which you can color correct with a green or yellow color correcting cream. Then, go in with a concealer that matches or is one shade lighter than your skin tone. Set the makeup with powder.
While the healing process may take up to 2 weeks, here are a few tips that will help any bruise to the skin, including hickies: Put an ice or cold pack on it right away to reduce pain and swelling. Repeat the cold treatment several times a day for 10 to 20 minutes each session.
Best Excuses to Use to Explain Away a Hickey
Using a whisk (like one used for baking), gently massage the affected area. Next, chill a metal spoon in the freezer. Once cold, apply the curved side of the spoon to the hickey for about five minutes.
Hickeys happen when the pressure from another person's mouth sucking on your skin breaks blood vessels, which creates a bruise.
If the hickey is tender, taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief medication such as ibuprofen might help relieve any pain or swelling. Some people also recommend placing a cold spoon on the hickey for around 15 minutes. This may not be as effective as using an ice pack.
Dabbing Toothpaste on Your Hickey
Putting a glob of toothpaste on your love bite isn't going to do it any good. In fact, you might irritate the skin further.
Makeup can be a useful tool for covering hickeys and tattoos, providing a temporary solution for concealing marks on the skin.