Lip hickeys, like other bruises, typically last from a few days to two weeks, fading as your body reabsorbs the trapped blood, changing from red/purple to green, then yellow/brown, and finally disappearing as the hemoglobin breaks down, with harsher hickeys potentially lasting longer. While there's no instant cure, treatments like cold compresses, massages, or certain creams can sometimes slightly speed healing.
They'll go away without any special treatment, and they don't leave scars. Hickeys usually take about 2 weeks to completely heal. But smaller hickeys can heal faster while larger ones may take more time to go away. While hickeys aren't harmful, they might be embarrassing for some people.
Bustle writer Aly Walansky spoke to Jennifer Trotter, owner and artist at Lip Service Makeup, about how to cover up a hickey. Makeup-wise, she explained in detail, ``If it's purple toned, use a yellow concealer to cover. If it's more red, then use green, if it's healing and has turned yellowish, use peach.''
What does a hickey look like, you ask? It depends a little on your skin tone. Right after you get one, it's common for hickeys to look dark reddish before slowly morphing into shades of blue, purple, dark brown, or black, depending on your complexion.
Other skin conditions that look like hickeys
However, if you observe the following problems, consult a doctor:
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.
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.
Conceal the Area
Apply a color corrector: Choose a color corrector with green undertones if your hickey is purplish-red, red or orange undertones if it is blackish-blue, or purple undertones if it is greenish-yellow.
Since hickeys often have a reddish or purple hue, applying a green color corrector can help counteract the color and make it easier to conceal.
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.
Hickeys start out red because of the intact red blood cells in the bruise loaded with hemoglobin underneath the skin. After a few days, the red blood cells begin to break down, and shades of blue and purple appear. You may even see some shades of brown as your body breaks down the red blood cells (Jeney, 2013).
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.
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.
For the first 48 hours after getting the hickies, avoid activities that may increase swelling, such as hot showers, hot tubs, hot packs, or alcoholic beverages. Protect the area from further “trauma.” Gently massage the hickey to increase blood flow and relieve pain.
Best Excuses to Use to Explain Away a Hickey
In private they're fine; if you're in public, especially at work, it's considered polite to conceal them. Or just have your partner make them in concealed locations.
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.