A black eye is common after suffering an injury to your face. Fortunately, most black eyes are minor bruises that get better in roughly three to five days. Many often turn to various home treatments during that time, including putting steak on the black eye.
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Why Put Steak on a Black Eye?
The swelling and black and blue color happen when the small blood vessels in your face break, causing blood and other fluids to collect in the space around your eye. People put the raw steak on their black eye because since the meat has been in the freezer or fridge for a while, it is cold and will help the bruising and swelling decrease by constricting blood vessels and reducing inflammation.
Is This the Best Treatment for a Black Eye?
Placing the raw steak on a black eye is not advisable. Contrary to what many think, there is no evidence that raw steak helps a black eye heal faster. However, the main reason why doctors don’t recommend this treatment is that placing raw meat on any open wound could cause an infection brought on by bacteria, like E. coli that is on raw meat.
Even placing a bag of frozen vegetables is not advisable since there is still a high risk that the surfaces in your kitchen or other foods in the fridge or freezer contaminated the bag.
What Is the Recommended Home Treatment?
Instead of placing a steak on your black eye, you should apply ice wrapped in a clean towel. Hold it gently on your eye for 10 minutes, repeating this process for another 10 minutes every hour. After several days of cold treatment, begin putting warm compresses on the injured eye to get the blood flowing and stimulate healing. If your situation looks terrible and you have doubts, the wisest thing to do is go to the doctor.