Toothpaste is a popular but generally ineffective and potentially irritating home remedy for love bites (hickeys); while some believe mint in toothpaste can help circulation, it's more likely to just dry out and irritate the bruised skin (a hickey is a surface bruise), potentially causing redness or inflammation, with better methods being cold/warm compresses or makeup for hiding.
“Any abrasive treatment of the skin like scrubbing with toothpaste or trying to scratch off the discoloration would be too superficial to impact the hickey. And it could even make the problem more apparent with scratches, bleeding, additional discoloration and scar formation.”
How to Get Rid of a Hickey Quickly?
The verdict: Stop what you're doing; you might irritate the skin surrounding your hickey. Toothpaste can contain a bunch of ingredients that can irritate your skin. Again, while this irritation won't actually make your hickey worse, it could inflame the area for no good reason.
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.
If you have a nasty bruise and you are keen to get rid of it as soon as possible, mix together a combination of skin lotion (any kind of skin cream) and toothpaste. Apply the solution to the bruise and cover it with a large band aid, so that it does not stain sheets. Leave it overnight and wash off in the morning.
According to makeup artist Ivy Boyd, you want to use a color corrector and concealer to hide a hickey. A fresh hickey has red and/or purple undertones, so apply a green corrector to red areas and a yellow corrector to purple areas. Then, use a concealer that matches your skin tone and set with powder.
Using the bristles of a toothbrush is another method to help break up the blood clots and spread the accumulated blood around in order to make it easier for your body to clear the hickey.
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.
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. Be careful not to rub the area if it hurts too much.
When you use your lips to lick, suck or bite (the pressure varies on what you'll are into) on your partner's erogenous zones you're create a vacuum that causes the capillaries under the skin to burst, leaving behind a bruise. It's that simple.
“It's just a bruise.”
Makeup can be a useful tool for covering hickeys and tattoos, providing a temporary solution for concealing marks on the skin.
Use a green color corrector for red undertones or a peach corrector for purple tones. Lightly dab it on the hickey and blend out the edges to balance the skin tone before applying foundation.
8 Simple Ways To Get Rid of a Hickey Fast
If you have a hickey, do not scratch or pick at the skin, or irritate the bruised skin in other ways. It can make the bruise worse, and may even cause a scar. Try some of the simple remedies suggested above or just leave it alone. It will heal on its own, usually within two weeks.
Dabbing Toothpaste on Your Hickey
In fact, you might irritate the skin further. Toothpaste contains a bunch of ingredients that can irritate your skin and clog pores. If you don't want to end up with neck acne or red, inflamed skin, we recommend staying far away from this so-called hack.
What Happens When You Mix Vaseline and Toothpaste? Some people claim that mixing Vaseline with toothpaste creates a powerful whitening formula, but there is no scientific evidence to support this. No Whitening Effect: Vaseline does not contain any bleaching agents, so it won't enhance the whitening power of toothpaste.
You can help your bruises heal faster by:
You can apply a warm compress for 5 to 10 minutes to your hickey once or twice a day. For your compress, you can use a reusable heating pad. You want to make sure that the compress is warm but not hot. If the compress is too hot, it can burn the already damaged skin, making redness worse and skin changes more obvious.