Hickey solutions
By Ali the Sexpert
October 24, 2007
 If you have never had one yourself then you will never know the embarrassment of having to hide one, but hickeys are still as common today as they ever were. Have you ever wondered how they occur on your neck, and why they turn certain colours?
What are Hickeys?
Hickeys first appear on the skin as a reddish mark that looks like a bruise. Hickeys are broken blood vessels beneath the skin (often the neck), which is caused by firm kissing, biting, or sucking in one area for more then a few seconds. Hickeys typically turn red at first but sometimes they turn green or black as well. It depends on how deep the blood vessels have been broken under the skin.
How Do You Give a Hickey?
They are easy to give. First find an area of skin that you want to leave the mark on. Place your mouth on this area with your mouth slightly open in an “o” shape creating suction on the skin. Then suck on the skin firmly. The area of skin will usually turn red and this takes about 30 seconds to a minute of direct sucking. If you are not very good at suction, then you can nibble with your teeth lightly but do not chomp on their skin. Hickeys often hurt for the person receiving them, but they can also feel pleasurable. It depends on what the person enjoys, so it is important to ask them before you do it. Some people do not like or want hickeys, so always ask first.
 Where does the Hickey Go?
Hickeys usually go on the neck, but they are visible there so some people put them elsewhere on the body such as on the inner thighs or stomach. Hickeys are commonly known to be marks of possession, so some people like to give their partner a hickey to show others that they are taken. For some people it is purely sexual or a sign of intimacy, so it is left on areas of the skin that only they will both see. So the location really depends on who is giving and receiving the hickey.
How Long does a Hickey Last?
Since hickeys are bruises, they take different amounts of time to heal depending on the location and depth of the hickey. If it is on the neck they typically last a few days. If the hickey is on other parts of the body it may take more time to heal such as a week or longer depending on how sensitive the person is and the location of the hickey.
 How do I Hide my Hickey?
If the hickey is on the neck, then the easiest way to hide it is with a turtleneck or scarf of some kind. Some people do not feel comfortable wearing these clothing items so you may have to be more creative. Makeup can hide a hickey well, especially if it is the right skin tone to match your own. It does not matter if it is a male or female, makeup is the best way to cover up a hickey. If you tend to heal slowly or bruise easily, then make sure to take vitamins and eat healthy which will help speed up the healing process. Often people who are low in iron (or who are anemic) bruise easily, so making sure you get a good source of iron will help as well. Other important vitamins to help with healing are vitamin P, and K). Putting lotions on the skin or taking aspirin will not take the hickey away because it is under the surface of the skin. The broken blood vessels need time to heal.
 Tips to Heal a Hickey Faster
According to www.wikihow.com, there are also some other recommendations to help you get rid of a hickey quicker.
1. Immediately apply an icepack to the hickey. Do this as soon as possible after receiving it. You can wrap some ice in a towel, use a pre-frozen ice pack, or put a spoon in the freezer for a few minutes. Gently hold the cold compress to the skin for several minutes (up to 20 minutes, if it doesn’t feel too uncomfortable), remove the compress for several minutes, and then apply it again.
2. Try the toothbrush or comb method: Lightly brush the hickey and the area around it with a stiff-bristled toothbrush or a comb. Doing this breaks up the blood clot and gets circulation going again. Wait about 15 minutes. The redness and swelling will spread, but will be less obvious after about 15 minutes. Apply a cold compress, as above. Repeat if necessary. Depending on the magnitude of your hickey this method may work, or it may just spread the discoloration a bit (it can make it worse if you press too hard.)
3. Use a coin. This method is probably the most painful, but has proven VERY effective. First, stretch the skin flat (pulling away from the hickey on two opposite sides works well for this). Then, use the edge of a large coin to scrape the skin. Use the coin as if the red area of the skin was butter on toast that needed to be spread outward. The only difference is that you must press quite hard. This pushes the excess blood, which has escaped from the capillaries, out of the surface skin. There will be redness from the scraping of the coin, but that will go away much faster than the hickey. And in any case, a scrape is much less conspicuous than a hickey.
Longer Term Solutions
The best solution is to not get hickeys at all. Tell your partner you do not want them. But if it does happen again apply arnica salve – a remedy like witch hazel onto the spot to reduce swelling.
Ali the Sexpert is a researcher and teacher in the field of sexuality. She has an Honours B.A. in Sociology (Windsor); a MA degree in Sociology (Windsor); is currently pursuing a second MA in Social Work. Campus Kiss is currently syndicated at universities across Canada.
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