Do you look like you’ve been given a punch on the face? Or worse, does one of your eyes closely resemble a panda’s? A black eye is commonly a result of a hit on your face that causes bruising and clotting of blood under your skin, especially around your eyes. In this article, we will tell you how to get rid of a black eye using simple effective natural home remedies. Let’s begin!
What Is A Black Eye?
Black eye is medically known as periorbital hematoma. It is often the result of an injury to the face, which leads to bruising around the eye. This condition is named so because of the color of the bruising.
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Does A Black Eye Require Medical Treatment?
Black eye does not require medical treatment in most cases. Simple home remedies can help ease their symptoms, If a person knows the cause of the injury, and they do not suspect they have a serious head injury. Usually it heal fully on their own. Most black eyes are due to physical injury.
In most cases, black eye can be easily treated with the use of some natural home remedies. But before starting treatment, you must be aware of what causes black eye. In this post, we will discuss the causes, and natural home treatment for a black eye.
What Causes of A Black Eye?
Medical Problems: Black eye is not dangerous and is often a result of bruising. However, in some cases, a black eye can be a sign of a more serious underlying medical complication. For instance, bruising around both eyes can be an indication of a skull fracture or some other injury of the head.
Injury: When you injure your face, the tiny blood vessels under your skin tend to burst and leak blood. This causes the bluish black bruise around your eyes. The injury to your face can result from being hit by any object.
Cosmetic Surgery: In some cases, a black eye can also be caused by a cosmetic surgery or some dental work and might last for several days.
Regardless of how you have injured yourself, the following natural home remedies can help you get rid of that weird-looking black eye quickly.
Home Remedies To Get Rid Of A Black Eye
1. Ice Pack
You Will Need
- An ice pack
What You Should Do
1. Apply an ice pack to your affected eye.
2. Keep it on for 5 minutes. Remove.
3. Repeat thrice.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this 2 to 3 times daily.
Why This Works
Ice packs can reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling around the affected eye.
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2. Cucumber
You Will Need
- Refrigerated cucumber slices
What You Should Do
1. Cut a cucumber into thin and circular slices.
2. Chill the slices for an hour.
3. Place a slice on each eye.
4. Replace the cucumber slices 2 to 3 times.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this 1 to 2 times daily.
Why This Works
Cucumber has a high water content, and hence, it can help soothe and cool your bruised eye. It can also help reduce the swelling and pain.
3. Cayenne Pepper And Vaseline
You Will Need
- 1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper
- 5 teaspoons of Vaseline
What You Should Do
Mix one part of powdered cayenne pepper with five parts of Vaseline.Apply this mixture evenly around the affected eye.Leave it on for an hour or two and then wash it off with water.
How Often You Should Do This
- You must do this twice a day.
Why This Works
The capsaicin in cayenne pepper makes this remedy very effective in treating a black eye. Capsaicin possesses powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties that can relieve the pain and inflammation around the bruised eye.
4. Essential Oils
a. Lavender Oil
You Will Need
- 6 drops of lavender oil
- 15 mL of any carrier oil
What You Should Do
1. Add six drops of peppermint oil to 15 mL of any carrier oil and mix well.
2. Massage this mixture gently around your eyes and leave it on overnight.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this once every night.
Why This Works
Peppermint oil possesses excellent anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties that can help treat a black eye. It also soothes the swelling and inflammation, if any.
b. Peppermint Oil
You Will Need
- 6 drops of lavender oil
- 15 mL of any carrier oil
What You Should Do
1. Mix six drops of lavender oil with 15 mL of any carrier oil.
2. Apply this mixture evenly around your eyes and massage gently.
3. Leave this on overnight.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this every night before bedtime.
Why This Works
Lavender oil can help you get rid of a black eye, owing to its strong analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Coconut Oil
You Will Need
- Virgin coconut oil (as required)
What You Should Do
1. Apply an even layer of coconut oil around your eyes and massage gently.
2. Leave it on overnight.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this once every night.
Why This Works
The very act of massaging, combined with the benefits of coconut oil, is one of the best remedies to treat a black eye. Coconut oil has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe the affected eye. Massaging it can help clear the blood clots under your eyes.
6. Pineapple
You Will Need
- Sliced pineapple pieces
What You Should Do
1. Place a sliced pineapple piece on each eye and keep them on for 10 minutes.
2. You can also consume pineapple juice for added benefits.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this 3 to 4 times daily.
Why This Works
Applying pineapple topically can help in combating a black eye and consuming it can speed your recovery from within. Pineapples are rich in vitamin C and also contain an enzyme called bromelain. While vitamin C helps your black eye heal faster, bromelain reduces the pain and inflammation.
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7. Petroleum Jelly
You Will Need
- Petroleum jelly (as required)
What You Should Do
1. Apply an even layer of petroleum jelly around your eyes.
2. Massage for some time and leave it on overnight.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this once daily.
Why This Works
Petroleum jelly is soothing, healing, and moisturizing and is thus a great option for treating a black eye.
8. Green Tea Bags
You Will Need
- 2 used green tea bags
What You Should Do
1. Place a used warm tea bag on each eye.
2. Keep them on for 15 to 20 minutes.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this twice daily.
Why This Works
Green tea is packed with antioxidants, thanks to the presence of high levels of tannins. These tannins can help heal a black eye by reducing the pain and swelling.
9. Lemon Juice
You Will Need
- 1 glass of lemon juice
What You Should Do
Consume a glass of lemon juice.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this 5 to 6 times in a day.
Why This Works
Lemons are naturally anti-inflammatory and are also great sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C possesses antioxidant properties, which heal a black eye by repairing the damage from within.
10. Orange Juice
You Will Need
- 1 glass of fresh orange juice
What You Should Do
Drink a glass of orange juice.
How Often You Should Do This
You must drink a glass of orange juice at least thrice daily.
Why This Works
Like lemons, oranges are also great sources of vitamin C. Consuming high amounts of vitamin C can acelerate recovery and help heal your black eye.
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11. Warm Compress
You Will Need
- A warm compress
What You Should Do
1. Apply a warm compress to the black eye.
2. Keep it on for 5 to 10 minutes and remove.
3. Repeat twice.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this 2 to 3 times daily for faster recovery.
Why This Works
A warm compress is a great option to relieve pain as well as improve blood circulation. It also helps in getting rid of the blood clots under your eye.
12. Toothpaste
You Will Need
- Any white toothpaste
What You Should Do
1. Apply a thin layer of any mint-flavored white toothpaste around the affected area.
2. Leave it on for a couple of hours or overnight.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this once daily, preferably at night.
Why This Works
Toothpastes, especially the mint-flavored ones, are quite effective in soothing bruised skin (including a black eye). The anti-inflammatory agents in toothpaste help your skin recover quickly.
13. Raw Potato
You Will Need
- Sliced raw potato
What You Should Do
1. Place a slice of raw potato on the affected eye.
2. Leave it on for 20 minutes and remove.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this 3 to 4 times daily.
Why This Works
Raw potatoes contain high amounts of certain enzymes that can be used for dissolving blood clots. Additionally, potatoes have anti-inflammatory properties that help relieve the swelling and inflammation around the affected eye
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Medical Term For A Black Eye
- Periorbital hematoma
What Is Hemetoma
Hematoma refers to the collection of blood outside of blood vessels.
Underlying Issues Of A Black Eye When It Does Not Get Better On It’s Own
Black eye may indicate an underlying issue when it does not get better on its own, or does not respond to home treatment.
1. BLEEDING DISORDERS
A persistent black eye may sometimes be as result of bleeding or blood clotting disorder.
2. SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDICATION
Certain drugs to prevent blood clots, such as heparin and warfarin may promote bleeding or prolong bruising. These medications take time to heal, resulting in a black eye that lasts longer than normal.
3. CANCER
Bleeding around the face, skull, and eyes can can certain cancers. Healing can be more difficult due to certain cancers and cancer treatments. This can cause another injury to last much longer than usual.
4. SKULL FRACTURE
Skull fracture may cause a black eye, when it affects the facial bones. A broken bone presses on the blood vessels can prevent a black eye from healing. A person with severe blow should seek prompt treatment. A skull fracture is a serious medical condition.
5. CELLULITIS
Cellulitis is a bacterial infection inside the deeper layers of the skin. Before an eye injury that breaks the skin, Cellulitis of the eye may develop.The symptoms of redness and swelling are likely to persist without antibiotic treatment.
A black eye may continue to look discolored for several weeks and can be intensely painful. The pain and swelling will go away on their own in most cases. If their black eye persists for more than 3 weeks or if they cannot identify the cause, it is recommended to see a doctor.
Sometimes, A black eye develops due to side effect of a particular medication or an underlying medical condition. The cause will be identified and appropriate treatment will be provided by a doctor.
Black eye develops following a head injury. Seek emergency medical treatment if your experiencing a severe head injury or symptoms of concussion.
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When To See A Doctor
If a black eye does not go away within 3 weeks, consult your doctor. A doctor may refer the person for further testing or a consultation with a specialist, if the reason for a broken nose is unclear. Black eye that may result from a blow to the head, may need an emergency medical attention. if it does not heal or due to an underlying medical condition or severe head injury, a black eye may require the attention of a doctor. If you are experiencing any of the following signs, it is recommended that you seek immediate medical attention.
- Painful nose following a blow to the nose or a crooked
- Blood coming out of the eye or an object in the eye
- A foul odor, pain that spreads across the face or signs of infection, such as pus
These are the ways you can get rid of a black eye naturally, and this are the things you need to know about a black eye and its treatment. Now that we are done with our part, why don’t you let us knows how well this article has addressed your issues? Use the comments section below to share your experiences and testimony with us.
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