How to Remove Hickeys ASAP (With Expert Healing Tips)

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Skincare specialist Alicia Ramos shares her top treatments for a small bruise, like a hickey

Co-authored by Alicia Ramos and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: December 9, 2025 Fact Checked

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Fastest Removal Methods

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Hiding a Hickey

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Other Treatments

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How long do hickeys last?

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A hickey is a bruise created by sucking or biting the skin until the blood vessels below the skin break. Although this highly recognizable "love bite" may not cause any pain, it can be embarrassing and difficult to conceal. It might also violate your workplace dress code. But fear not! While you can't get rid of a hickey overnight, we're going to share at-home treatments that may help it heal faster, as well as tips for how to hide it while it's fading. We'll also share bruise treatment advice from a natural health care professional and skincare experts.

How do you remove hickeys fast?

Skincare specialist Alicia Ramos says you can speed up healing by elevating the area with the hickey, taking vitamin C, and applying vitamin K cream. You can also apply a cold compress for the first 24-48 hours. These hacks won't get rid of a hickey immediately, though, so consider hiding it with makeup or clothes.

Section 1 of 4:

Fastest Ways to Get Rid of a Hickey

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Cold helps bruises heal in the first 24-48 hours by reducing swelling and slowing blood circulation. Wrap the cold compress in a towel and apply it to your hickey for 20 minutes at a time, with breaks of at least 20 minutes in between.^{[1]
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Mayo Clinic
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Meet the wikiHow Experts

Ritu Thakar, MA, is a natural health care professional with over 14 years of experience. She specializes in Ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga, and holistic care.

Alicia Ramos is a skincare specialist and a licensed esthetician. She's trained in lashes, dermaplaning, waxing, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels.

Lorraine Kline is a licensed esthetician and the owner of HAVEN Collective. She has over 25 years of experience, and she and her team specialize in hair removal, facial, and massage services.
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Elevate the area where the hickey is located. According to Ramos, "Elevation is a great way to… clear out some of the inflammatory fluid that has gathered [under the skin], helping your body to clear the bruise faster."^{[2]
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Expert Source

Alicia Ramos
Skincare Specialist

Expert Interview} If the hickey is on your neck or chest, for example, try standing or sitting up instead of lying down. Prop yourself up with pillows on your bed to sleep.

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Take vitamin C and apply a vitamin K cream. Studies have shown that people who are deficient in vitamin C bruise easily, but their existing bruises improve when they take vitamin C orally.^{[3]
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Research source} According to esthetician Lorraine Kline, "Vitamin K has also been proven to help with bruising, as well."^{[4]
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Expert Source

Lorraine Kline
Esthetician

Expert Interview}
- Take 75 mg of vitamin C a day if you're a woman and 85 mg a day if you're a man. You can get vitamin C naturally through fruits and vegetables or take an oral supplement.^{[5]
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  Mayo Clinic
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- Purchase vitamin K cream and apply it to your bruise according to the instructions on the container.
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Apply herbs like arnica, calendula, aloe vera, and witch hazel. Natural health care professional Ritu Thakar, MA, says that certain herbs can "accelerate the healing process [for bruises], but also help in reducing pain, swelling, and blood clotting."^{[6]
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Ritu Thakur, MA
Natural Health Care Professional

Expert Interview} Apply aloe vera gel or creams that contain arnica or calendula directly to the hickey with your finger. You can also soak a cotton ball with witch hazel and spread it on the hickey.
- Avoid putting toothpaste or essential oils like peppermint on your hickey. Some people claim these remedies can get rid of your hickey, but they actually just irritate your skin.^{[7]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Hide Your Hickey

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1
Cover it up with makeup. Covering your hickey with makeup won't heal it, but it's the fastest way to mask it while it heals. Apply a color corrector, concealer, and foundation to hide the hickey from view. Then set your look with translucent setting powder.
- Choosing the right color corrector: If your hickey is purple, apply a yellow-tinted color corrector all over it. If it's green, use a peach or red color corrector. If it's yellow, try a purple color corrector.
- Choosing the right concealer: Find a concealer 1-2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone.
- Choosing the right foundation: Select a foundation that matches your skin tone (cool, warm, or neutral) and the color of your complexion.
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Hide it with hair, clothing, and accessories. Depending on how you typically dress and what time of year it is, you have several options for hiding your hickey with fashion. The key is concealing it in a way that won't draw attention to it. For example, if you have long hair, wear it down so it covers the hickey. If you have short hair, or if you need to wear your hair up for work or an event, try these clothes and accessories instead:
- A turtleneck sweater
- A collared shirt
- A scarf
- A hooded sweatshirt
- A choker necklace

Section 3 of 4:

Other Ways to Treat a Hickey

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Switch to a warm compress. Ice is only effective for the first 48 hours. After icing the hickey for 48 hours, switch to a warm compress, such as a hot water bottle or a heating pad. Apply it several times a day, but only for 15-20 minutes at a time.^{[8]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- Cold brings down swelling, but heat helps the body break down the damaged cells in the bruise and remove them.^{[9]
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- Should you massage a hickey? Some people recommend massaging your hickey with a chapstick or lipstick cap, or even a toothbrush to stimulate blood flow. But most experts advise against this practice. You could accidentally break more blood vessels and make your bruise look worse (and linger longer).
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Take acetaminophen for pain, and ask your doctor about NSAIDs. NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can sometimes reduce the pain and swelling from a bruise. But some people, especially elderly folks or people with inflammatory diseases, bruise and bleed more easily when they take these pain relievers. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a safer choice over aspirin (Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Talk to your doctor to discuss which pain reliever is right for you.^{[10]
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American Academy of Family Physicians
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Rub the inside of a banana peel on the hickey for up to 30 minutes. It may sound odd, but the inside of a banana peel is packed with vitamins and antioxidants that can help your hickey feel better. It won't make it disappear any faster, but it may make the pain more manageable.^{[11]
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- Still looking for ways to make a hickey go away quickly? Check out what wikiHow readers suggest on our “How can I make a hickey go away fast?” forum.

Section 4 of 4:

How long do hickeys last?

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Hickeys last 1-2 weeks before fading. How long your hickey sticks around depends on how "bad" it is (i.e., how hard your romantic partner sucked or bit your skin). But, generally speaking, you should notice it has disappeared completely by the end of 2 weeks. Using the healing tips we suggested above may make it fade a little faster.^{[12]
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Cleveland Clinic
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