Relationships May 25, 2017
Sure, the allure of hickeys are pretty hard to resist. Some people may even say it’s a good way to tell flirtatious bimbos to back off. But nevertheless, you should beware of those pesky love bites that can creep up after a passionate night of necking.
And for those of you who may not know what they are, they’re marks caused by the excessive sucking, biting and kissing of soft skin.
Basically, when a person’s lips, tongue and teeth latch on hard enough, the capillaries – or tiny blood vessels – in your body can rupture and leak blood into the surrounding tissue. This leaves clotted blood underneath the skin’s surface.
The act of obtaining a hickey can be fun, but they also leave dark purple bruises as evidence of frisky behavior. This, then, could leave you wondering: Are hickeys bad for your health?
Well, in some very rare cases, hickeys can pose a potential threat, which is why it’s a good reason to avoid these love bites if you can. But if you don’t mind these annoying bruises, ENTITY shares four facts that might convince you that hickeys are bad news.
If you happen to live in a hole and don’t already know, practicing safe sex is vital to your health.
Surprisingly enough, hickeys are considered a sex injury and they can, in fact, transmit oral herpes. This can happen when a person with a cold sore flare-up causes deep breakage in the skin. Once the skin breaks, you run the risk of possible infection from your partner’s cold sore.
Last year, a boy from Mexico allegedly died from a hickey-induced stroke. Don’t freak out just yet! These cases are extremely rare, but you should still take note of this the next time you find someone sucking a little too hard on your neck.
Blood clots can occur when a love bite has gotten too deep in the skin. When blood flow to the brain gets punctured and blocked, this can lead to something more serious like a fatal stroke.
And although these cases are extremely rare, it might be worth mentioning another incident when a woman in Australia died of a similar hickey-induced stroke.
You might think hickey’s are no big thing since they tend to fade away. Just like a typical bruise, right? Wrong. Scarring depends mostly on two factors, including the depth of the bruise, and the lightness of your skin. Unfortunately, the fairer your skin, the longer the hickey tends to last.
Scarring depends mostly on two factors, including the depth of the bruise and the lightness of your skin. Unfortunately, the fairer your skin, the longer the hickey tends to last.
You will also want to stay away from touching and fussing at the mark. This could damage the skin tissue further and increase your chances of scarring. To avoid this from happening, apply cocoa butter to the bruise to help heal and promote the growth of new tissue.
Iron is a significant component to your blood because it’s an essential mineral that helps transport oxygen with red blood cells. In addition, it also speed the oxidation of cholesterol in the body.
Lacking red blood cells can lead to an iron deficiency or anemia, leaving you vulnerable to bruising and much more susceptible to hickeys.
If your body is iron deficient, then you may want to add more spinach, kale, steak, beans and lentils. You can also try Vitamin D supplements if your diet doesn’t seem efficient enough.
Overall, hickeys seem like fun, adventurous and playful things to give to your partner, but you may want to rethink them. Unless you’re into that sort of stuff, of course.
