A Hickey is the result of suction on delicate skin like that found on the neck. The pressure breaks capillaries in the skin, and blood is released into the surrounding skin, forming a bruise. Within a short amount of time, the area will begin to show signs of swelling and bruising. Hickeys are associated with romance and passion, although some people can get them from unrelated injuries. If you don’t want people to know what you’ve been up to, you’ll have to eliminate the hickey, or at least hide it from sight.

Use a Cold Compress

You should use a cold compress right after you get a hickey to prevent blood from reaching the area and making a bruising. If you don’t have a cold compress, use some ice packed in cloth or a cold spoon. Cold shrinks the blood vessels and keeps it from pooling. This reduces the amount of swelling and helps to eliminate love bites. Press the compress down on the hickey and slowly move it around for a few minutes.

Use Toothpaste

Toothpaste, surprisingly, can be used to remove hickeys. When using toothpaste, make sure you use peppermint or mint-flavored ones as the menthol in these kinds of toothpaste helps to soothe the area. Put a dab of toothpaste on your finger and rub it into the hickey for a couple of minutes. You can either wipe it off after the tingling has stopped, or you can leave on all night.

Use Peppermint Oil

Instead of using toothpaste, some people use 100 percent peppermint oil. Mixe it with a drop or two of coconut or olive oil to dilute it before you spread it over the hickey. Let it sit overnight as well. Make sure you test your skin before you apply a large amount as some people can have a slight reaction to these oils.

Apply Vitamin K-Based Lotion

Vitamin K is used by doctors to help relieve the bruising of patients who have been through surgery. It speeds up the healing process, which helps to make hickeys fade away quickly. Take the vitamin-K lotion and gently apply it to the affected area and let it sit.

Apply Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a natural healing plant, and it has been used for centuries to treat cuts and bruises. Take a leaf off an aloe plant and break it open, or buy aloe lotion from the drugstore. Gently rub the aloe over the hickey. Let it sit for at least ten minutes before wiping it off. You should repeat the process a couple of times a day.

Grab a Banana Peel

Right after you get a hickey, grab a banana and peel it. You want to place the inside of the peel directly over the hickey and let it sit. The banana will help to cool down the site and control the amount of bruising that can occur once you get a hickey. Repeat this process 3-5 times per day.

Use a Toothbrush

You can use a toothbrush with very soft bristles to stimulate the blood circulation around the hickey if it persists after a day or two. The increased blood flow will help to get rid of the swelling and color. Repeat this process several times a day until the hickey is gone.

Use Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter has healing properties similar to aloe vera. Cocoa butter has phytochemicals and fatty acids that rejuvenate and heal the skin. It has traditionally been used on stretch marks, wrinkles, and scars to reduce or eliminate them. Apply cocoa butter to the hickey several times a day until it is gone. You might like it enough to keep using even long after the hickeys have disappeared.

Use Warmth to Circulate Blood

While you want to use a cold press right after you get the hickey to reduce blood flow, you will want to do the opposite if the hickey is still there after a few days. Use a warm compress to increase blood flow to clear out the bruise. This should help to reduce the size of the hickey.

Pick Neck-High Clothing

Sometimes, the hickey is just too deep and dark to remove it in time. You might run into people you know before it disappears completely. In this case, you will need to dress appropriately to cover it up. You should put on a turtle-neck shirt or sweater or wear a fashionable scarf around your neck to hide it.