Reasons to be Concerned About People Seeing Your Hickeys

There are certainly a few reasons you may be concerned with people seeing your hickeys. If it is on your neck, it might be noticeable to your co-workers. This is embarrassing, particularly if you work in a conservative environment. If people notice the hickeys in your neck, they may jump to conclusions by what caused it. They may assume you'd a one-night stand or a very passionate relationship.

Hickey Hack are the most common hickeys and usually are caused by a tight embrace when two bodies are pressed against each other. To obtain these hickeys, your partner needs to be holding you very tightly and close when kissing you.

When you have these hickeys, it may mean that your partner is passionate and intense but also that they might be a little aggressive or rough inside their approach. Bruise hickeys may also be a sign that the partner is a new comer to relationships or inexperienced in love.

How fast do hickeys disappear completely?
Everyone's healing time varies, but dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor at Yale, says you are able to expect your hickey to stay for one or more week. And while there's nothing you can certainly do to remove a hickey overnight (sorry, just being real with you—bruises can have a minute to go away), there are always a few things you can certainly do to simply help increase the procedure a bit. Here's everything you should try:

Apply a cool compress or spoon to your hickey ASAP

Alright, before you do anything, grab a clear spoon and throw it in your freezer for eight to ten minutes. Then, while your hickey is ideally relatively fresh, firmly press the cold spoon on top of the affected area. It will feel kinda uncomfy, but even derms agree that you ought to trust the process. “The cold can help minimize the blood seeping from the vessels into your skin,” says dermatologist Doris Day, MD, adding that it is additionally vital to repeat this once or twice each day to keep swelling down.

Treat your hickey with Visine

Yes, Visine, as in the attention drops. Dr. Gohara says applying a pat to your bruise a few times a day will help constrict your blood vessels and make your hickey less obvious. Just be sure you aren't using it on any open wounds or cuts—only straight-up bruises—to avoid any possible irritation.

Skip the fundamental oils

Speaking of irritation, it's probably best in order to avoid essential oils (like peppermint) when it comes treating a hickey. Dr. Gohara says they aren't really your very best selection for eliminating hickeys—especially if you've got sensitive skin. "Essential oils are prone to cause dermatitis," she says. "They might increase blood flow, but who desires a hickey and a huge rash too?" There's an exception though, which brings me to...

Try an arnica cream in your hickey

"Arnica is really a flowering herb that's been useful for bruising for a large number of years," says Dr. Gohara. The healing powers of arnica are chalked up to one of its primary elements, helenalin, which Dr. Gohara says can be an anti-inflammatory that helps calm your body's natural swelling response. Try treating your hickey with a topical arnica cream once per day until the swelling and bruising subsides.

Conceal your hickey with makeup

I understand this isn't everything you actually want to hear, however when in doubt, the simplest (and fastest) way to hide a hickey is by using your chosen concealer or foundation. Blend your go-to formula on clean, dry skin with a damp makeup sponge and lock everything in with a fast dust of setting powder. Need a rec? I'm a fan of Dermablend Cover Care Full Coverage Concealer (pictured above) and Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer.