Black Eyes - How To Get Rid of a Black Eye and Reduce Bruising

Since the skin under the eye is so thin, the blood that pools beneath it when injured is seen as a very dark blue or “black” color. The “rainbow” of colors that will form over the next couple of days is actually a sign that it is healing as the blood is slowly reabsorbed in the body. The average time it takes for a black eye to go away is approximately one week from start to finish.

Your biggest concern however might be swelling. Luckily there are a few home remedies for a black eye that you can use to reduce swelling and to help fade the black quicker.

Apply ice on and off for the first 48 hours. This will help keep the swelling down and help decrease the internal bleeding by constricting the blood vessels.

A bag of frozen vegetables - particularly frozen peas -- makes the perfect ice pack because they can easily mold around the affected area. When they start to defrost - simply refreeze and use again. (Do not eat the peas however after they have been defrosted and re-frosted.)

Playtex Gloves can also make unique ice packs. Simply fill a clean Playtex glove with ice, tie the cuff securely to avoid leaking and apply to eye. This will protect area from ice-burn.

Aspirin prevents blood from clotting and helps it spread more easily so do your best to avoid taking it while waiting for your eye to heal.

You can also use a tea bag to help minimize the swelling. The chemical in tea acts as an anti-inflammatory. Simply let a tea bag soak in warm tap water for a minute or two, then gently apply to bruised area with your eye closed. (This remedy also works well with everyday under eye puffiness.)

Parsley is a great old folk remedy for bruising because it has both anesthetic properties as well as anti-inflammatory. Combining it with ice will provide a double whammy for your black eye. Simply combine about one cup of fresh parsley with about 2 tablespoons of water. Mix it up in the blender - then freeze the mixture in an ice cube tray. Wrap the cubes in a soft cloth and apply to eye are for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Vitamin C will help prevent the rainbow effect that usually accompanies a black eye which will have you looking back to normal a little quicker. So be sure to load up on your Vitamin C by drinking lots of orange juice, eat oranges, green leafy vegetables or even try Vitamin C supplements that you can get at your local drug store.

Vitamin K will slow the spread of black eye bruising. You can get Vitamin K supplements at your local drug store, or if you are a fan of alfalfa sprouts you can eat it that way as well. (Do not take Vitamin K however if you are pregnant or on a blood thinner.)

Bromelain supplements can help fade the black color naturally. You should be able to find it in your local health food store. Take 1 to 2 grams of it with water before meals. If you cannot find bromelain, you can also eat Pineapple because bromelain is the active ingredient in Pineapple.

This is a great old fashioned Chinese Remedy. Try combining 1 part cayenne pepper with 4 to 6 parts petroleum jelly. Heat up the jelly, mix in the cayenne and gently apply around the black eye at least once a day. This will help flush out stagnant blood.

Witch Hazel is also very good for a black eye. You can apply Witch Hazel to cotton balls and gently swab the eye a couple of times a day or you can purchase witch hazel pads which can be placed on they eye on and off all day.

For more useful and easy to use home remedies visit Home Remedies for Everything.