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Much like acne and teenage angst, hickeys aren’t exclusive to adolescence. Often dismissed as a youthful indulgence, hickeys are something any adult with an active romantic life might encounter. Discovering an unsightly mark on your neck can be frustrating, and as grown-ups, it’s essential to separate fact from fiction when it comes to treating them. Here’s a guide on how to effectively manage a hickey and what practices to avoid entirely.
A warm compress is your most reliable solution
To start, let’s revisit the basics: Hickeys are essentially broken blood vessels caused by suction, leading to a bruise that results in discoloration. Unlike deeper bruises that can linger for up to two weeks, hickeys are surface-level and typically fade within a few days.
Using a warm compress is one of the most reliable ways to treat a hickey. According to Insider, the warmth boosts blood circulation in the affected area, helping your body dissolve and reabsorb the pooled blood that causes the hickey’s appearance. For proper application, follow this method recommended by Cleveland Clinic:
Fill a microwave-safe bowl with water and heat it until warm. Aim for a temperature slightly hotter than bathwater but not boiling.
Soak a clean washcloth in the warm water. After a few minutes, wring it out and place it over the hickey. Leave it on until the washcloth cools to room temperature.
Repeat the process. If you have two washcloths, you can alternate between them to maintain consistent warmth without waiting. You may need to reheat the water multiple times.
Continue these steps until the warm compress has been applied to the area for a total of 15 to 20 minutes.
A cold spoon is unlikely to cause harm (but it won’t do much good either)
On the opposite end, a common “hack” for removing a hickey involves using an ice-cold spoon. However, since hickeys are surface-level bruises, the cold has minimal effect. There’s no proof that it speeds up the healing process, though it may reduce inflammation in the area. In short, a cold spoon won’t eliminate your hickey, but it probably won’t worsen it either. Similarly, a chilled application of Aloe vera falls into this same category of limited effectiveness.
These DIY methods can do more damage than good
Be cautious of homemade remedies that could irritate the bruise and make your hickey more prominent.
You might have come across suggestions to use a toothbrush, coin, or your thumb to “disperse” the hickey. The theory is that massaging the area will increase blood flow and accelerate healing. However, avoid this approach. In practice, it can further damage the skin, intensifying the discoloration.
Another remedy to steer clear of is applying peppermint oil or toothpaste. The belief is that the cooling sensation speeds up recovery, but in reality, it may irritate the skin without addressing the underlying bruise.
The truth is simple: Your hickey requires time to heal
Ultimately, there’s no miracle home remedy to make a hickey vanish instantly. While a warm compress can aid the process, hickeys, like other bruises, require time to fade naturally.
If concealing the hickey is a priority, consider using color-correcting makeup. Alternatively, with winter approaching, your newfound love for turtlenecks won’t seem out of place.
