7 Things you must know about hickeys aka love bites
Hickeys are harmless fellas, or so we like to believe! Love bites, aka hickeys, are often signs of a night spent right. Some treat them as trophies that they love flaunting, many reach out for the concealer to hide them while some won’t even give them much ado. But honestly, hickeys are nothing to be proud of. As a matter of fact, they are bruises; they are no sights of beauty. Hickeys are only ugly injuries in the shape of a mouth, which symbolize broken capillaries under your skin.
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Following seven facts about love bites are things you sure did not know about them
They are bruises
Right below the surface of our skin are capillaries, the tiny blood vessels. They break when we hit something hard and this is why it pains or leaves a bruise. Similarly, hickeys are caused by breaking of these capillaries. Not more serious than hitting a table or bed, they are bruises nonetheless.
Animals also love hickeys
Male mammals have been noticed to give nibbles at the necks of their female partners during mating. This makes you feel like the ‘brawny animal’ that you are, huh? (mockery absolutely intended)
Getting a love bite easily means you are deficient in iron
If your partner doesn’t need to apply a lot of sucking to leave you a mark, you can be iron deficient. So, watch out. Black or blue marks are particularly dangerous.
Hickeys can cause oral herpes
If you thought that condom was all you needed against STDs, you are wrong. If your partner has herpes and gives you a bite in which the skin tears, you will get it too.
​Hickeys can’t be cured
Sure, you can put some ice but there is no other way you can make them disappear earlier than their normal course. Scarfs, high necks, collars and concealer to the rescue.
They can cause strokes!
Yes, they can! In 2011, a woman got a stroke from a hickey and ended up with paralysis in her left arm. Though this is the only documented case of stroke following a love bite, who can say another can’t happen?
They can leave long lasting scars
Some hickeys are so bad that they can stay for weeks, months and even years. This also depends on the complexion of your body, how fair you are, how bad it was and if it involved biting. (All images from Shutterstock)
