How To Get Rid Of Hickeys In South Africa
What is Hickey?
A hickey is a dark red or purple mark on your skin caused by intense suction. Like other bruises, it should fade in about 2 weeks. The neck is a common site for hickeys because of its easy access, but you can get them anywhere
Hickeys form when your partner sucks or bites on your skin hard enough to burst the blood vessels. Like a bruise, a hickey can change color over time. “They start out purple, then go to pink, then green, then yellow then fade completely,” Zeichner says.
How To Get Rid Of Hickeys In South Africa
1. Press a cold spoon on the bruise: “The back of a cold spoon will help reduce swelling,” says Ali. “This has the same effect as applying ice. It constricts the blood vessels, therefore minimizing bruising and bleeding.”
2. Apply aloe vera: “This will speed up the healing process,” Ali says. “Aloe’s anti-inflammatory properties can reduce skin swelling and pain, too.” GQ recommends: JASON Aloe Vera 84% hand and body lotion.
3. Apply pressure immediatelyThis slows blood flow to the site, and will stop the bruise from becoming larger.
How to Conceal a Hickey
1. Apply a large square bandage: There’s no rhyme or reason here except that you can tell everyone you had a cyst drained from the side of your neck, says Ali. It’s worked for a few of his clients, and it makes for a cool story. (Hardcore necking was a cool story in high school, but if you’re an adult it’s a bit embarrassing—no offense. The cyst story sounds more on brand, so stick with that, and know that everyone will make hickey jokes anyway.)
2. Use concealer: What an aptly named product: Concealer can match your skin tone to cover blemishes like zits… and hickeys! Find a brand that offers numerous shades, like Mënaji with its CAMO Concealer, and apply lightly, using your ring finger to gently blend it in and hide the welt.
3. Turtlenecks and scarves: For your sake, I hope that it’s winter. A scarf is a reliable move, but a little questionable in the office. Maybe it’s time for a black turtleneck.
How to get rid of a hickey, according to dermatologists
When it comes to hickeys, there aren’t a ton of proven treatment options at your disposal. “The only scientific way to expedite the resolution of a bruise is pulse dye laser,” says Rokhsar.
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.
If you want to hide your hickey while it heals, you should also consider covering it up with makeup or clothing. But overall, the dermatologists say that prevention is your best option in the case of hickeys.
“The best way to treat a hickey is really to prevent it from happening to begin with — by telling your partner to go easy on your neck,” says Zeichner.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does toothpaste help with hickeys?
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.
How long do hickeys last?
Hickeys form when the tiny blood vessels under your skin are broken, leaving a noticeable bruise. Hickeys can last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. So if you’re trying to hide one, you may spend a long time in turtlenecks or touching up the area with concealer. But there are a few ways to speed up the healing process.
Because a hickey is a type of bruise, some basic first aid principles can help reduce the appearance of a hickey if a person acts quickly. Applying a cold compress or ice pack to the affected area for 15–20 minutes can stop any bleeding, reduce swelling, and help the healing process.
How do you cover up hickeys?
The green-tinted concealer is the best as it negates the red tones of the skin. Apply a foundation that’s a little lighter than your skin tone, directly on the hickey (love bite) and all around it. The idea is to even out the skin tone. You can also dust a little translucent powder to hide it further
Are hickeys embarrassing?
There’s never any reason to shame someone for having a hickey — like all forms of consensual sexual behavior, you don’t have to justify someone making out with your neck — but the paradox of the hickey is that it takes something private and creates a public, lingering effect.
How do you get rid of a hickey with a toothbrush?
Taking your toothbrush, brush the bristles over the area of your hickey, gently applying pressure and working the toothbrush in a different direction so as to move the clotted blood around, spreading it to adjacent areas of tissue. Repeat this process for roughly five to ten minutes.
Does heat make hickeys worse?
If heat is applied to the area before this, it can make your hickey worse and more pronounced as blood flow is increased to capillaries that have not healed allowing for further bruising and discolouration.
How do you get rid of a hickey with a minute whisk?
Teenagers on TikTok have found a new way to get rid of love bites once and for all – kitchen whisks. First introduced by TikToker @mads. larocque, the technique involves rubbing a metal whisk against your neck for five minutes
What color cancels out hickeys?
Your hickey is probably a myriad of colors from black to red so “go for colors like salmon and orange to help reverse the blues and purples.” Neil suggests using a color correcting palette or concealers that have your undertones so they color correct while concealing
There is no “right” or “wrong” part of the neck. However, she’ll be able to hide it more easily if it’s low, near her collarbone, or high on the neck, such that it falls beneath her hair. The neck may be the most popular spot, but you can technically give a hickey to any area of sensitive skin.
What do hickeys signify?
Hickeys can be used as symbols of one’s unavailability to the public. But they are not always intended for this purpose. I would venture to say that most hickeys don’t have a purpose other than pleasure. In the heat of the moment, you might just get caught up and accidentally suck too hard for too long.
How do you get rid of a hickey in 10 minutes?
“Cold temperatures can help reduce the blood flow from the broken blood vessel into the skin and stop a bruise from getting darker or larger. Hold a cold compress on the hickey for 10 minutes as many times as possible for the first one to two days.”