You may want to go on to parading your ‘Hickeys’ or ‘love bites’ to brag about a night well spent, or you might feel more comfortable by covering them up with concealer.
But to tell you the truth, they are nothing to be happy about. They are wounds that symbolize broken vessels under your skin.
Read the full blog to find ‘Are hickeys dangerous or just love bites to cherish.’
Table of Contents
What are hickeys?
Hickeys are bruises or marks caused by sucking or kissing on the skin. Regularly getting hickeys can turn out to be quite unfortunate for you.
This is because there are little platelets under the skin called vessels that rupture due to excessive sucking or kissing.
These ruptured vessels release tiny spots of blood which result in the formation of a bruise or, as you may call it, a ‘love bite.’
Regularly getting hickeys can cause damage to your skin and leave permanent scars.
So, hickeys may be a sign of love and intimacy, but there are chances that they may leave scars.
Vitamins play an essential role in repairing damaged skin. Read more about the Role of Vitamins to keep skin healthy.
How are hickeys formed?
Usually, when the mouth comes in contact with the skin to form an ‘O’ and enough suction is created, it leads to the rupture of vessels under the skin.
These ruptured vessels release tiny spots of blood which form a bruise or hickey.
Are hickeys bad for your health?
We all love getting and giving hickeys in the bedroom but ‘are hickeys dangerous?’ or ‘are hickeys bad?’ are the questions constantly lingering in our minds.
People around the world believe that hickeys are bad. They can cause oral herpes, blood clots, scars, or a stroke.
Herpes: Hickeys can help transmit oral herpes even without mouth-to-mouth contact. If your partner has oral herpes, they can transmit it to you by giving you a hickey.
In such cases, your little love bite can become dangerous for you.
Also, read List of Some Sexually Transmitted Diseases to avoid health-related risks while making love to your partner.
Blood Lumps: In some cases, a lump of blood can form over the bruise, which usually breaks down and disappears on its own within a few days.
In rare cases, if the lump does not disappear, it may signify a blood clotting disorder.
You should consult a healthcare provider in such cases.
Stroke: In extremely rare cases, a hickey may be fatal for you. There have been incidents where a love bite caused a series of medical events.
According to reports, a hickey caused a stroke to a 17-year-old boy.
So to answer the question, ‘Are hickeys dangerous?’ they are not, but sometimes they may be deadly.
Scars: Hickeys can leave permanent scars on your body if you regularly get them in one spot.
If excessive sucking or kissing is done continuously for a long time, it can leave scars on your body.
So to answer your question, ‘are hickeys bad for your health?’, we can say that in most cases, hickeys are harmless. However, they can still be fatal if not taken care of.
How to get rid of hickeys?
Hickeys cannot magically disappear in minutes, no matter what you do. However, there are different ways to speed up the healing process of a hickey, like
- Cold Compress
A cold compress can reduce the swelling of a new bruise. The cool temperature can help lower blood flow to the skin.
- Warm Compress
After a cold compress, use a warm compress to increase blood flow in the bruised area. This can effectively reduce swelling.
- Massage
Massaging the area of the bruise or hickey daily for a few minutes can speed up its fading process.
- Apply Aloe Vera
It can be used to reduce the swelling of a hickey and speed up its healing process because of its inflammatory properties.
Sometimes, when you cannot get rid of a hickey, you may want to hide it, and there are several ways to do it.
You can wear a scarf, collared shirt, or a turtleneck or hide it by applying make-up or bandage on the hickey.
So, apart from learning ‘are hickeys dangerous?’, you might also need to know about how to hide them.
Conclusion
Hickeys or love bites are formed by continuous sucking or kissing on the skin.
They can be painful and feel sore and sometimes may leave permanent scars due to excessive sucking or kissing.
So, are hickeys dangerous?
That entirely depends from person to person because each person is differently sensitive to hickeys.
You can use natural products like turmeric or aloe vera to take care of your sensitive skin.
Even though in most cases, hickeys are completely harmless, they turn out to be fatal or nearly fatal for some people.
They may cause blood clotting disorder, oral herpes, or stroke in rare cases.
You should consult with your doctor if you face any severe problems.
FAQs
Do hickeys hurt normally?
Yes, it is normal for a hickey to hurt or feel sore. However, there should not be any extreme pain or swelling. Usually, a hickey hurts for a day or two afterward.
How long does a hickey last?
Hickeys or love bites are formed by continuous sucking or kissing on the skin. They can last anytime between 2 days to 2 weeks, depending on the severity of the bruise.
Why do some people get hickeys easier?
It is easier to get hickeys in areas where the skin is thin. Usually, most hickeys are given in the neck area because it’s easy to access, and the skin is also more delicate and sensitive.