What is a hickey?
A hickey is a sexual mark, also known as “love bite,” and is actually a bruise caused by intense kissing or sucking your skin. When your partner sucks on your neck or anywhere, slightly damages the blood vessels under your skin and release tiny spots of blood which is basically a bruise, appears as dark red or purple mark. Hickeys can fade from anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks.
Are hickeys bad / dangerous ?
A hickey is a temporary problem and it shouldn’t cause any serious or long term problems. If your partner has already any health issues may affect you through kissing or bites on your skin. You can consult a doctor if:
- The hickey doesn’t fade after two weeks
- The hickey causes unbearable pain
- There’s a lump over the bruise
How long do hickeys last ?
A hickey is a temporary problem and it shouldn’t go away instantly with any methods or treatments. Hickeys may go away from 4 days to 2 weeks. Duration of marks will depend on the health of the affected person and harshness of the suction. If the affected person is well hydrated and consume balanced diet, it may take less to time to disappear. In healing process hickey may darken first, and then change colors into reddish, brownish and finally pale yellow. So now the answer for your question ” How long do Hickeys Last ? ” is 4 days to 2 Weeks .
How to Avoid a Hickey
Good communication may be the most effective way to prevent a hickey.
- If your partner spends too much time on one area, suggest another spot.
- Ask your partner to be gentle.
How do you hide hickeys?
- Wear a scarf
- Cover with a band aid
- Cover it with accessories
- Cover it with your long hair
- Use makeup ingredients
- Use collared shirt
How to Get Rid Of a Hickey
- Apply cold compress
A cold compress on the hickey in the early stages can reduce the blood seeping out of the vessels into the skin and reduce swelling.
- Take an ice pack and wrap it in a clean cloth and apply on a hickey for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat this process several times a day for two days.
- Grab a clean spoon freezed for ten minutes and place it on the hickey, but not rub it into your skin.
- Apply warm compress
If your hickey is swollen and it’s still thereafter for four days, you can apply warm compress on your hickey. It helps to increase blood flow, helping it heal faster.
- Use a wash cloth and wet with warm water. The cloth should be warm but not hot. Apply heat on the hickey area for about five to ten minutes and repeat the process several times a day.
- Apply aloe vera
Aloe vera is a natural moisturizer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and help speed up the healing of a hickey.
- You can collect the gel from the aloe vera plant by cutting a leaf in half contains the thick pulp inside. Apply a thick layer of gel on your hickey for ten minutes and repeat the process twice a day.
- You can buy the bottled aloe vera gel from any grocery stores.
- Banana peel method on your hickey
Banana peel is anti-inflammatory which contains polysaccharides and the residue is a natural moisturizer which contains vitamins and minerals
- Place the banana peel on your hickey and hold it for 20-30 minutes which may reduce the size of a hickey and repeat the process twice a day.
- Apply vitamin C cream
Vitamin C helps boost your skin’s collagen production, when you’re trying to heal a hickey. Vitamin C cream improves healing process by applying to the affected area.
- Eat vitamin C and vitamin K rich foods
Eat green leafy vegetables, green vegetables and other foods that are rich in vitamin C and K which may speed up the healing process. If you want to take supplements, consult your doctor.
Prof. Venkata Kiran Kumar Mandlem is Head Of Department in CMR College of pharmacy Hyderabad . He Completed PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Andhra University . More info about him MV Kiran Linkedin