How to Get Rid of a Hickey
If you notice a hickey relatively soon after receiving one, say a few hours, a good way to prevent too much blood from leaking out of the burst blood vessels is with an ice pack, a bag of ice, or even frozen spoons. Keep in mind that this is an injury that is visible under the skin so to avoid any complications do not use ice directly on the skin but rather make sure it is in a bag of some sort. Similarly, very cold metals can be extremely harmful to the skin but if there is no ice around for some reason, you can place a spoon in a freezer for about ten minutes (certainly no longer than that). Once you have an ice pack or cold spoon, hold it against the ruptured blood vessels while applying a minimal amount of pressure for a few minutes at time. Take extra care not to freeze your skin, this would be incredibly counter-productive as it may damage your skin.
Another method uses heat however; one should never place anything warm near a hickey within 48 hours of receiving it. This will increase the size of the hickey since heat will increase the amount of blood flowing out of the blood vessels. If it has been about two days a hot water bottle placed against the hickey will break up the coagulated blood underneath the skin and increase circulation so that the body can break it apart faster. The water in the bottle does not need to be too hot and one definitely wants to stay away from any temperatures that may cause even a minor burn.
If you would like to stay away from playing with temperature or these methods simply are not working with your body then simply massaging the hickey may dissipate the blood beneath the skin. This can be done in a variety of ways. The most common is to use a toothbrush or soft hairbrush and gently massage the skin for a few minutes at a time. If someone has sensitive skin they may try placing wax paper between the brush and the skin. Remember to wait at least 48 hours to allow the blood vessels to heal and close before doing this. In extreme cases of deep hickeys, one can try taking a coin, pen cap, or even a lipstick then stretch the skin around the object and massage for about 20 seconds each time for about ten minutes to try to move the coagulated blood away from the affected area.
Finally, if one prefers to avoid anything having to do with rubbing the skin a good mint oil, Aloe Vera extract or even the inner part of a banana peel [from a ripe banana] may be placed on the affected area for their healing properties. Additionally, vitamin K, Excedrin, or aspirin all contain qualities that thin the blood and increasing circulation but the blood vessels must be completely healed before trying this and one must be responsible with any medicine or vitamin.
There is no one universal sure fire way that will work on everyone however most will be able to use at least one of these methods with some success. If not, then trying to cosmetically hide it may be a good option. Hickeys tend to remain visible for 5 – 15 days.