You've heard it before and seen it in movies — just throw a nice, cold steak on a black eye and it'll be better in no time, right?

Not so fast, physician Dr. Ian Smith says.

Why? Well, let's understand what exactly a black eye is first, shall we? 

"A bruise is when you have trauma to your head or your face," Dr. Ian explains, "and there are small capillaries underneath the skin that burst."

"The reason why the steak [myth] is not true," the doc says, "is because you don't want to introduce bacteria — [which you can find on steak] — into a wound or onto your skin." 

You're not wrong about the cold sensation being good for a black eye, though, Dr. Ian says. 

"Cold will help prevent swelling and inflammation," he explains, "so take some frozen peas — [the bag is] malleable." Then, he goes on, put a thin cloth over it before applying it to your wound. If the cloth is too thick, wet it to ensure that the cold from the frozen peas is seeping through. 

And, of course, you can also use a good ol' ice pack if you don't have frozen peas on hand, the doc assures.