So You Have A Hickey

So you have a hickey. You haven’t had one in so long (sophomore year of high school to be exact), that you’ve forgotten how frustrating it can be to have a vampire bite-sized bruise on your neck.

Back in the day, having one meant strategically hiding it from mom and especially dad by wearing a turtleneck sweater for a week. However, spring is upon us and turtlenecks are only ideal for the winter hickey-covering season.

If a guy has Edward Cullen-ed you, here are the most effective ways to get the bruise gone. Fast. Because trust me, no one’s buying the “curling iron burn” excuse.

First, you must know understand your enemy in order to know how to conquer it. What exactly is a hickey? Well, whatisahickey.com has been made to answer just that. According to the website, a hickey is when “somebody sucks hard on soft skin, causing the capillaries underneath the surface to rupture.” Lamens terms: hickeys are bruises. They will generally last one to two weeks before fading if left untreated.

The website goes on to give great insight on how to treat your love bite. There is a wide range of options that corresponds to the severity of your hickey.

For the recent hickey: THE COLD METHOD

This is most effective when used ASAP. Icing the bruise immediately will stop blood flow and any potential growth in size. You can use an icepack, frozen spoon or even bag of frozen veggies. As long as it’s cold, it will do the trick.

For the 48-hour hickey: THE HOT METHOD

So you’ve been dealing with this neck bruise for two days. Good news! You are eligible for the hot method. Apply a hot water bottle or even wet towel to the affected area(s) for 10 to 20 minute intervals.

**This method should not be used before the two day mark. The burst capillaries will not have healed properly before then, so using heat could potentially make the hickey grow**

For the hickey at any stage: MASSAGE

Massaging the spot will help break up and spread the blood around. There are several creative massage tools one can use.

A stiff bristled toothbrush or electric toothbrush massaged on the area in circular motions for five-minute intervals will make a huge difference. Alternate between doing this and applying ice.

The ‘ole Chapstick trick: Press down Chapstick against the area and massage in circular motions. Use a good amount of pressure.

You can also use your finger and some peppermint toothpaste. Apply pressure and move finger in circles.

None of these are quick 10 minute fixes. They take time, and often a day or two. So if you have the interview of your life in an hour, I suggest hiding it instead.

Wear your hair down

If you have long, locks… take advantage. This is not the day to wear a pony tail.

Wear a scarf

If you have a pixie cut or your hickey is resting right on top of your jugular. Thankfully, we are in State College where it is perpetually scarf weather. It won’t look suspicious.

Get fancy with your concealer

This is the website’s most useful help of all. Here is their step-by-step makeup guide to covering the spot.

Whatisahickey.com suggests applying green corrector liberally to the area of the hickey. You can find this in a concealer stick form in McLanahan’s. It might sound weird to use green makeup, but green hides skin redness because the colors are on the opposite side of the color wheel.

Don’t stop there! Next step is to mix together a yellow shade concealer and skin tone concealer until you get a color that matches your specific tone. Apply this meticulously with a makeup brush.

Lastly, dab the area to spread the concealer around. Finish with a layer of foundation. The key here is to get a natural look, because having a giant concealer stain on your neck looks just as bad as having an uncovered hickey.