Hickeys, love bites, kiss marks; love them or loathe them, most of us will end up with one at some point or another. It's par for the course, right?
If you happen to have an event - like a work meeting or lunch with your boo's parents - and don't want the whole world to know you've been necking off, you'll probably want to get rid of the tell tale marks. But is there actually a way to get rid of hickeys?
We asked Ridah Syed, Senior Medical Aesthetician at Skinfluencer London and Cosmopolitan's own Beauty Director for the lowdown. Here are their top tips.
So what actually is a love bite? Well to start with, it's not necessarily a bite - it's more like a bruise caused by sucking or biting the skin. "Broken blood vessels trap the blood just below the surface of your skin and this can trigger the formation of a bruise, which is essentially what a love bite or hickey is," explains Ridah.
While hickeys can be formed anywhere, they're more likely to happen in sensitive areas, such as the neck, shoulders, or chest. Hickeys on the neck tend to be the most famous - especially as it's both a super sensitive and visible area. And who doesn't love neck kisses?
Unlike some other types of bruises, hickeys form quickly; "They can appear in a little as five to 10 minutes," says Ridah.
But as with other types of bruises, there's no set timeline for when they might heal. In general, it can take anywhere between two days and two weeks - depending on the severity of the bruise, its location, as well as how well your own body heals.
"Depending on how much damage was done beneath your skin's surface will determine how long it takes for the bruise to break down and be reabsorbed by your body," says Ridah.
"If a body has lower levels of iron (formally referred to as an iron deficiency), it will bruise easier. This means it won't take as much suction to leave the tell-tale mark and it may also show up more prevalently and take longer to disappear. This is also common for people with thin or sensitive skin as the blood vessels are closer to the top layer of the skin and react quicker to irritation."
Okay great, so now we know exactly what they are, how can you get rid of them before dinner with your dad?! We asked the experts and we're sorry to disappoint, but there's no sure fire way to get rid of a hickey - although there are things that can help minimise the appearance of one.
"To help the skin heal more quickly, aloe vera can help as it will promote healing of the broken capillaries, and its anti-inflammatory properties can also assist with lessening the swelling," suggests Rdah.
As well as aloe, you could also try;
While these tips may help your body heal the hickey faster, there's no real guarantee as the process depends on your body and the severity of the hickey.
With no magic way to get rid of hickey, you may want to opt for hiding it instead. Scarves, turtlenecks or collared shirts are a good shout if you have love bites on your neck or shoulders.
But if that's too conspicuous, covering it with makeup can be an alternative; "neutralise with a blue or orange colour corrector and then cover with a highly pigmented concealer," advises Cosmopolitan UK's acting Beauty Director, Keeks Reid.
Alternatively - just don't cover it! Hickeys - and being sexually active in general - are nothing to be ashamed of. For some, marks on the skin are even a fetish. So if you're into it, wear those love bites with pride, babes.