Having a hickey can be very embarrassing especially for women who are no longer adolescents. It can happen to everyone since in the heat of the moment, only few really consider the consequences of a passionate kiss that involves a little more sucking and biting than is needed. No one really likes to show off their hickey and since turtle necks are not so hot these days it is useful to know a few easy tips for removing or at least reducing them.
A hickey happens when the blood vessels in the skin rupture due to the suction effect against the skin. It is basically a bruise and it will go away after a week or so but only after turning blue, purple or green and eventually yellow.
The first aid treatment for a hickey is to apply ice. Ice will shrink the vessels and prevent the collection of blood droplets underneath the skin. The ice should not be applied directly to the skin as it may cause irritation and more redness, and it should be wrapped in a towel or a cloth instead. Pressing the round side of a cold spoon on the area can help as well especially if the pressure is applied with a twisting motion. This may hurt a little but it is very effective.
These steps should be repeated several times until the hickey subsides. Some claim that after only five minutes of this method the hickey will go away completely but this is not necessarily true in all the cases there may still be some redness left.
This method only works if it is done immediately after the hickey is made. If the unsightly bruise is discovered the next day there are some other tips that may help.
Warm compresses and a gentle massages with fingertips may help but there should not be any pinching that might break even more blood vessels.
There is also the coin method, that may be painful but people swear on its effectiveness. The skin is pulled tightly on one side of the hickey, which is then rubbed hard with the edge of a coin.
Similar methods involve a toothbrush or a comb. Some people use round objects like lip balm or a lipstick and roll it over the hickey with firm pressure.
Vitamin K, aloe and warm teabags may help as well. Aloe is particularly recommended because it is well known that this plant has many beneficial effects on the skin.
Some people apply eye drops on the hickey, hoping that it will shrink the broken vessels like those in the eye. However, the blood vessels of a hickey are already ruptured and the blood cannot go back in.
If these tips and remedies do not work there is always make up. A concealer with a greenish tone should be used on red hickeys and for those which have turned purple, yellow tones work the best. The concealer should be topped with some foundation and hopefully the hickey will be invisible after that.
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