Hickeys, medically known as ecchymoses, are essentially bruises caused by trauma to the capillaries just beneath the skin’s surface. This trauma leads to blood leaking out of the vessels and pooling, resulting in the characteristic red, purple, or bluish marks. While harmless, hickeys can be a source of embarrassment, prompting many to seek quick solutions for their disappearance. One such widely circulated, yet controversial, method involves using a coin. This article explores the theory behind how to get rid of hickey with coin, its purported effectiveness, potential risks, and scientifically supported alternatives.
The Theory Behind Using a Coin for Hickeys
The idea behind using a coin to address a hickey stems from a common understanding of bruise management. The theory suggests that by applying pressure and performing a scraping motion with a coin, one can:
- Break up clotted blood: The localized pressure from the coin is believed to help disperse the accumulated blood that forms the hickey.
- Encourage blood flow: The scraping action is thought to stimulate circulation in the affected area, theoretically speeding up the body’s natural reabsorption of the pooled blood.
This method aims to accelerate the healing process by facilitating the dispersal and removal of the extravasated blood.
The Proposed Method: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
Proponents of the coin method typically describe a specific technique:
1. Prepare the skin: Ensure the area around the hickey is clean and dry.
- Stretch the skin: With one hand, pull the skin surrounding the hickey taut. This stretching is thought to make the underlying blood vessels more accessible to the coin’s pressure.
- Position the coin: Use the edge of a clean coin (e.g., a quarter or a dime).
- Scrape outwards: Place the edge of the coin at the center of the hickey and gently scrape outwards, away from the center. The motion should be firm enough to apply pressure but not so aggressive as to cause pain or further skin damage.
- Repeat: Continue this scraping motion for several minutes, often suggested for ten to fifteen minutes per session.
- Frequency: Some recommendations suggest repeating this process multiple times a day until the hickey fades.
The goal is to redistribute the clotted blood and promote circulation without causing additional bruising or irritation.
Expert Opinions and Scientific Scrutiny
Despite its popularity in anecdotal circles, the method of how to get rid of hickey with coin faces significant skepticism from medical professionals.
Dermatological Concerns
Dermatologists and other medical experts largely caution against using a coin for hickey removal for several compelling reasons:
- Risk of Worsening the Hickey: A hickey is, at its core, a bruise. Applying abrasive pressure or scraping a bruise can exacerbate the damage to already compromised capillaries. This can lead to:
- Increased Discoloration: Instead of dispersing the blood, the scraping can push more blood out of the vessels, making the hickey appear darker and larger.
- Prolonged Healing Time: Further trauma can prolong the time it takes for the body to naturally heal the bruise.
- Skin Irritation and Injury: The skin on the neck, where hickeys commonly appear, is delicate. Scraping it with a hard object like a coin can cause:
- Redness and Inflammation: The friction can irritate the skin, leading to redness and swelling.
- Abrasions and Cuts: Excessive pressure or a sharp edge can cause cuts or scrapes, creating open wounds.
- Infection Risk: Any break in the skin barrier increases the risk of bacterial infection.
- Scarring: Repeated or aggressive scraping, especially if it leads to skin damage, can potentially result in permanent scarring. This is a far more undesirable outcome than a temporary hickey.
Lack of Scientific Evidence
A primary concern among medical professionals is the complete absence of scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of using a coin to speed up hickey healing. There are no clinical studies or peer-reviewed research papers that validate this method. The body’s natural healing process for bruises is complex and involves the gradual reabsorption of blood by the lymphatic system. Manipulating this process with external scraping is not supported by physiological understanding.
Experts emphasize that the fading of a hickey after using a coin is likely coincidental, as hickeys naturally fade over a period of days to weeks regardless of intervention. Any perceived benefit is likely attributable to the body’s inherent healing capabilities rather than the coin itself.
Why the Coin Method is Not Recommended
In summary, while the concept of how to get rid of hickey with coin might seem logical on the surface (breaking up clotted blood), the risks far outweigh any unproven benefits. It is not a recommended practice by medical professionals.
- It’s a form of trauma: Applying force to an already traumatized area is counterproductive.
- No proven efficacy: There is no scientific basis to support the claim that it speeds up healing.
- Potential for harm: It can worsen the hickey, irritate the skin, cause new injuries, and potentially lead to scarring.
Safer and More Effective Alternatives for Hickeys
Instead of resorting to unproven and potentially harmful methods like using a coin, there are several safe and often more effective strategies to manage and reduce the appearance of hickeys. These methods work by either minimizing the initial bruising or by supporting the body’s natural healing process.
Immediate Actions (Within the First 24-48 Hours)
The first 24-48 hours after a hickey forms are crucial for limiting its severity.
- Cold Compress: Applying a cold compress immediately after the hickey forms can significantly reduce its size and discoloration.
- Mechanism: Cold constricts blood vessels, which helps to minimize bleeding into the surrounding tissues. It also reduces swelling and inflammation.
- Application: Wrap ice cubes in a thin cloth or use a cold pack. Apply to the hickey for 10-20 minutes at a time, several times a day. Avoid direct application of ice to the skin to prevent frostbite.
After 48 Hours
Once the initial bleeding has stopped, the focus shifts to promoting blood reabsorption.
- Warm Compress: After the first 48 hours, switch to a warm compress.
- Mechanism: Warmth dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the area. This enhanced circulation can help the body reabsorb the pooled blood more quickly.
- Application: Soak a clean cloth in warm water (ensure it’s not too hot) and apply to the hickey for 10-20 minutes, several times a day.
- Gentle Massage: Light, circular massage can help disperse the blood and encourage circulation.
- Mechanism: Similar to the warm compress, gentle massage promotes blood flow and lymphatic drainage, aiding in the removal of pooled blood.
- Application: Use your fingertips to gently massage the hickey in a circular motion for a few minutes at a time. Avoid aggressive rubbing, which can worsen the bruise.
Topical Treatments
Certain topical agents are believed to aid in bruise healing.
- Arnica Gel or Cream: Arnica montana is a homeopathic herb often used for bruising and swelling.
- Mechanism: While scientific evidence is mixed, arnica is traditionally believed to reduce inflammation and promote healing.
- Application: Apply a thin layer of arnica gel or cream to the hickey several times a day.
- Vitamin K Cream: Vitamin K plays a crucial role in blood clotting and is sometimes used topically for bruising.
- Mechanism: Topical vitamin K is thought to help break down blood clots and promote their absorption.
- Application: Apply a vitamin K cream to the hickey as directed on the product label.
- Aloe Vera: Known for its soothing and healing properties.
- Mechanism: Aloe vera can reduce inflammation and promote skin repair.
- Application: Apply pure aloe vera gel to the hickey.
Lifestyle and Dietary Considerations
Supporting overall skin health and healing can also benefit hickey resolution.
- Hydration: Staying well-hydrated supports overall circulation and cellular function.
- Nutrient-Rich Diet: A diet rich in vitamins C and K, and bioflavonoids (found in fruits and vegetables) can support capillary health and bruise healing.
- Vitamin C: Essential for collagen production and capillary integrity.
- Vitamin K: Involved in blood clotting, which helps prevent excessive bleeding.
- Avoid Further Trauma: Protect the hickey from any additional pressure or injury that could worsen it.
Concealment Strategies
When a hickey needs to be hidden, practical solutions are available.
- Clothing: High-collared shirts, scarves, turtlenecks, or strategically placed clothing can effectively cover hickeys.
- Makeup: For a quick fix, color-correcting makeup can conceal the discoloration.
- Green Color Corrector: Use a green color corrector to neutralize the red tones of a fresh hickey.
- Yellow/Orange Color Corrector: For purple or bluish hickeys, a yellow or orange corrector can help neutralize the color.
- Concealer and Foundation: Follow with a concealer that matches your skin tone, blended well, and then apply foundation over the entire area. Set with powder.
Understanding the Natural Healing Process of Hickeys
It is important to remember that hickeys are temporary and will fade on their own, regardless of intervention. The body’s natural healing process typically involves:
- Initial Bleeding: Blood leaks from damaged capillaries, causing the initial red/purple appearance.
- Blood Breakdown: Over time, the body begins to break down the pooled hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen and gives blood its red color).
- Color Changes: As hemoglobin breaks down, it undergoes a series of chemical changes, leading to the characteristic color progression of a bruise:
- Red/Purple: Initial stage, due to fresh blood.
- Blue/Black: As deoxygenated blood accumulates.
- Green/Yellow: As hemoglobin breaks down into biliverdin (green) and bilirubin (yellow).
- Brown/Fading: As the body reabsorbs the pigments.
- Complete Reabsorption: Eventually, all the blood and pigments are reabsorbed by the lymphatic system, and the skin returns to its normal color.
This process typically takes anywhere from a few days to two weeks, depending on the size and severity of the hickey and an individual’s healing capabilities. While the methods discussed above may potentially hasten this process slightly or offer symptomatic relief, none can make a hickey disappear instantly.
Conclusion
The question of how to get rid of hickey with coin is frequently asked, but the answer from medical and scientific perspectives is clear: it is not a recommended or effective method. While the theory might sound plausible, the practice carries significant risks of worsening the hickey, causing skin irritation, or even leading to scarring. There is no scientific evidence to support its efficacy.
Instead of relying on unproven remedies, it is always best to opt for safer, evidence-based approaches to manage hickeys. These include applying cold compresses immediately, followed by warm compresses, gentle massage, and considering topical creams like arnica or vitamin K. For immediate concealment, makeup and clothing are effective tools. Ultimately, patience is key, as the body’s natural healing mechanisms will resolve the hickey over time. Prioritizing skin health and avoiding further trauma to the delicate skin on the neck are the safest and most sensible strategies.
How to make hickey marks go away quickly?
Apply warm compresses
Your best bet is to treat your hickey with good old-fashioned warm compresses. “Warm compresses can help open up your body’s blood vessels and break down the stain, taking away the red blood cells that have spilled out from the blood vessels and into your skin,” he explains.
What cancels out hickeys?
From my experience, I’m going to blend out the edges. Set that once again with loose powder. And you’re good to go.