Did you wake up this morning with evidence on your neck of last night's activities? Do you have a big meeting at work, or an entire day of classes at school that you are too embarrassed to attend because of the tiny red bruise that is darkening on your skin? Maybe you don't even want to leave your bedroom, afraid the wrong person will see what your partner left behind last night. If so, you are not alone. Many people have found themselves in similar situations, and as a result, there are ways to deal with the presence of hickeys to help lesson the fallout. If you would like to learn more, this guide will help direct you on how to get rid of a hickey.

Hickeys, or love bites, are reddish marks that are left on the skin after one person sucks or bites the skin of another person too hard, leaving a bruise. This bruise is caused by the breaking of many tiny blood vessels, and does not heal easily. Healing time usually depends on the size and depth of the hickey, and may last a few days or a few weeks.http://teenadvice.about.com/od/datinglove/tp/info_about_hickeys.htm

Unfortunately, there is no permanent way to get rid of a hickey. Like most bruises, hickeys must run their course and fade away on their own. However, there are ways to speed up the healing process, as well as solutions for concealing hickeys from the eyes of others. If you need to know how to get rid of a hickey, then it is time to separate the facts from the fiction regarding them.

In medical terms, a hickey is a subcutaneous hematoma that is caused when the lining of the blood vessels are damaged and blood escapes into the skin and tissues.http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3682 In other words, a hickey is just a fancy word for "bruise." Like all bruises, a hickey will generally fade in a few days but can take up to three weeks. The higher up on the body the hickey, the faster it is likely to heal. Remember to treat it as a bruise, not just an embarrassing mark left by another.http://uimc.discoveryhospital.com/main.php?id=3173

The only way to get rid of a hickey is to treat it as you would a bruise. A few methods that may help heal your hickey faster are listed below. Incidentally, these methods are believed to work on any type of bruises, not just hickeys.http://uimc.discoveryhospital.com/main.php?id=3173

• According to the Mayo Clinic and other medical facilities, the best way to help a hickey heal faster is the following:

1. Apply icehttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-bruise/FA00039
   1. Apply ice for about ten minutes each time.http://www.durhamregional.org/healthlibrary/kids/bruises
   2. Ice helps reduce further bruising and swelling by reducing arterial blood flow, which decrease bleeding.http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/677/main.html
   3. The sooner you apply ice, the less bleeding will occurhttp://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/677/main.html
2. Keep the area elevated.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-bruise/FA00039
3. After 24 hours, you can apply heat to the area for about 10 to 15 minutes.http://uimc.discoveryhospital.com/main.php?id=3173
   1. This will help the blood get recycled faster.http://www.durhamregional.org/healthlibrary/kids/bruises
   2. Heat can be followed by cold compresses to help minimize the swelling caused by the heat.http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/677/main.html

• You could also applying an elastic wrap with mild pressure to the area in order to lessen the color and intensity of the hickey.http://www.durhamregional.org/healthlibrary/kids/bruises However, since hickeys are most often found on the neck, this is probably not a good idea.

• Many vitamins are believed to both help prevent bruising as well as help bruises heal quicker either by rubbing them in cream form onto the hickey or by taking the vitamins as supplements.

1. Vitamin K helps prevent bruises when taken internally.http://www.durhamregional.org/healthlibrary/kids/bruises Bruises Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a significant role in blood-clotting. Without Vitamin K, blood would not clot.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002407.htm When applied to a hickey in cream form, Vitamin K is supposed to speed up the healing by constricting blood vessels and reducing redness.http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/38.cfm
2. Vitamin C is good at preventing bruises and can help them heal faster.http://www.durhamregional.org/healthlibrary/kids/bruises Vitamin C can be taken as a supplement or rubbed on the area as a cream. If taken as a supplement, do not exceed 2,000 mg a day.http://www.mothernature.com/Library/bookshelf/Books/48/28.cfm
3. Taking 50 to 100 mg of zinc a day will help bruises fade due to its role with the body's metabolism, protein, and wound healing.http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_bruis.htm http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/zinc.asp
4. Vitamin E oil applied on the hickey is supposed to help heal the broken capillaries faster.http://video.about.com/makeup/How-to-Hide-a-Hickey.htm

• There are also herbal and folk remedies that are supposed to help heal bruises (and therefore, hickeys). While there is no clear medical evidence that these things will help speed up the healing process, these methods are not likely to do any harm either.

1. Comfrey is one of the oldest herbal remedies for treating sprains, bruises and cuts. However, it should not be taken internally or applied to open wounds.http://www.mothernature.com/Library/bookshelf/Books/48/28.cfm
   1. Comfrey is available as a cream or oil that can be applied to the skin.http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/bruises.htm
   2. You can make a poultice by placing crushed comfrey leaves into hot water. Then, spread them onto a warm, moist washcloth and press it to the bruise.http://www.mothernature.com/Library/bookshelf/Books/48/28.cfm
2. Calendula can be applied as a cream or tincture to the hickey as it has healing properties and contains antiseptics.http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_bruis.htm http://www.horizonherbs.com/pilot.asp?pg=calendula
3. Arnica, used to reduce muscle aches and heal wounds, can also be used to help alleviate bruises.http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/arnica-000222.htm/ref.
   1. Apply arnica gel every three hours.<ref>http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_bruis.htm
   2. You can also add a few drops of arnica tincture to a cup of water and soak a clean cloth in it.http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/bruises.htm Hold the cloth to the hickey.
   3. Some people can have allergic skin reactions to arnica.http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/bruises.htm
4. Witch hazel is healing ointment, good for healing wounds, alleviating pain, and good for removing bruises.http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/bruises.htm Apply as a cool compress.http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_bruis.htm
5. Vinegar, when applied as a compress, may help alleviate bruises.http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_bruis.htm
6. Cabbage is good for more than just cole slaw; it also has anti-inflammatory properties.http://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/bruises.htm Macerate and heat the cabbage before applying it to the hickey.http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_bruis.htm

• Ask anyone who has ever had a hickey and you will probably hear his or her own remedy for getting rid of a hickey. Dermatologist Alan Rockoff from MedHelp advises people to avoid such remedies because they are unlikely help and could actually delay things.http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Dermatology/messages/34699.html Some of these dubious techniques include:

1. Place a hot tea bag on your neck (which is supposed to reduce swelling).http://www.collegeotr.com/central_missouri_state_university/8_ways_to_get_rid_of_a_hickey_8958
2. Rub deodorant onto the hickey and leave it on overnight.http://www.collegeotr.com/central_missouri_state_university/8_ways_to_get_rid_of_a_hickey_8958
3. Leave toothpaste on the hickey overnight.http://www.collegeotr.com/central_missouri_state_university/8_ways_to_get_rid_of_a_hickey_8958
4. Rub a brush over the area hard to work the blood back into the skin. This is supposed to be "painful" and will "cause the skin to eventually flake off."http://www.collegeotr.com/central_missouri_state_university/8_ways_to_get_rid_of_a_hickey_8958 You can use a toothbrush to do this.http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Dermatology/messages/34699.html
5. Use a comb to brush the hickey.http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Dermatology/messages/34699.html Combing the hickey for ten minutes is supposed to disperse clots.http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-get-rid-of-a-hickey-150745/
6. Rub the hickey with a cold spoon.http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Dermatology/messages/34699.html Some say this only works if you also apply pressure with the spoon.http://www.realraptalk.com/f2/how-remove-hickey-42735/
7. Get a sunburn on it.http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Dermatology/messages/34699.html
8. Use a quarter or other coin to disperse the blood.http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-get-rid-of-a-hickey-150745/ You have to stretch the skin flat and press hard as you can without breaking the skin] (which can be very painful).http://www.realraptalk.com/f2/how-remove-hickey-42735/
9. Twirl the eraser of a pencil forward and backward on the hickey.http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-get-rid-of-a-hickey-150745/
10. Twist a lipstick cover over the hickey to "get the blood flowing." This is supposed to make the hickey temporarily redder before fading.http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-get-rid-of-a-hickey-150745/

• One of the simplest ways to conceal a hickey is to use both a concealer. To do it properly, you will need the following:

• 1. Concealer brush.
  2. Concealer that matches your skin tone.
  3. Neutralizing concealer.
  4. Foundation that matches your skin tone.
  5. Loose face powder.

• Since most hickeys are located on the neck, you may need a concealer and foundation color that is lighter than you would use on your face. The neck is usually lighter than the face because it is shielded from the sun.http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style/tips/hiding-hickeys

• Neutralizing concealers come in three different colors: green, lavender and yellow. To cover most hickeys, you will want to use a green neutralizing concealer.http://video.about.com/makeup/How-to-Hide-a-Hickey.htm You use green because green is opposite red on the color wheel.http://styles101.homestead.com/corective.html

• To cover the hickey, you need to follow these steps:

1. Apply neutralizing concealer over the hickey using a concealer brush.http://styles101.homestead.com/corective.html A concealer brush will blend the concealer easier and cover things better.http://styles101.homestead.com/makeupbrushes.html
2. Once the neutralizing concealer has set, pat on a thin layer of the skin-toned makeup concealer over the neutralizing concealer using the concealer brush and feather the edges.http://styles101.homestead.com/corective.html You can also try mixing yellow concealer with your regular concealer and applying it.http://video.about.com/makeup/How-to-Hide-a-Hickey.htm
3. Cover with the foundation. Use a sponge or your fingertips and pat on the foundation in a downward motion.http://styles101.homestead.com/corective.html
4. Apply face powder over the area.

• If none of that works you can always try to use clothing to make the hickey disappear. Some things people have tried include:

• 1. A carefully tied scarf.
  2. A turtleneck.
  3. A jacket or shirt with the collar up.

• When all else fails, you can always try to come up with a clever story. Women usually have the old standby "burned myself with a curling iron" excuse. Men could try the "scratched my neck while climbing a tree to rescue a cat" (considering adding that you did it for a crying child, group of nuns or an elderly woman). Men can cover it with a band-aid and claim to have "cut themselves shaving."

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the information presented here.