Even though at a certain age we think that the purple love-bruises are cool and exciting they are actually the complete opposite of what you think and know about them. People usually get carried away during having sex and even do things that they normally don’t do such as biting each other. The hickey or love-bite is actually a bruise.
Hickeys are formed on sensitive places on the body such as the neck, inner thighs or the collar bone. Giving a hickey is not that hard because the sensitive places bruise much easily.
Below the surface of the skin there are lots of capillaries that break when exposed to too much pressure. The skin does not react immediately; it becomes red and swollen at first. As the days go by it becomes reddish and eventually turns into a yellow blotch. Even though getting a hickey may be a sort of a pleasure, the aftermath is not that pleasant.
These are the 6 facts about hickeys that you probably did not know.
- Hickeys are a sign of iron deficiency
If you find hickeys on various parts of your after every time you make love to your partner than it does not mean that your partner is too good in bed. It actually indicates that you have iron deficiency. Iron is very important mineral for the blood and the deficiency of iron causes you to bruise so easily. This deficiency also causes other health problems such as anemia. So, if you notice frequent appearance of hickeys on your body it means that you should consume more iron rich foods such as spinach and red meat.
- Hickeys can cause permanent scarring
Most people think hickeys are harmless because they fade away after a while. However, this is actually not the case for everyone because there are exceptions to this rule too. Hickeys can actually turn into a scar that will last you a lifetime depending on your skin complexion and the depth of the bruise. Also, constant appearance of hickeys increases the risk of appearance of a scar because as the skin tissue becomes more and more damaged you are more likely to develop a scar.
- Hickeys can give you oral herpes
One of the most common sexually transmitted diseases is herpes. Genital herpes is something people first think about however oral herpes is also something that affects many people. Oral herpes forms when small pustules in the mouth turn into cold cores. Then they live a reddish hue around the mouth area. If you have a sexual intercourse with a person who has oral herpes and that person gives you a hickey you could get the virus too. That virus will travel through your bloodstream and cause a breakage on your skin. The best way to protect yourself is to avoid having sexual intercourse with someone who has a herpes. You will certainly get the oral herpes if you get in contact with a person whose cold sores are active.
- Hickeys can sometimes cause a nasty blood clot
Even though it is rare there still is a chance for a hickey to form a blood clot. This blood clot can eventually turn into a much more serious medical issue. Hickeys on the neck in particular affect the blood vessels that are close to the heart and the spinal cord which means they could directly affect the cardiovascular and central nervous system. In 2011, a woman from New Zealand died from a heart attack which was a consequence of a hickey that turned into a blood clot. Even though this is the only incident where death was caused by a hickey it does not mean that you should be taking them very lightly.
- There are no cures for hickeys
Many articles online will promise you a fast cure for hickey but in reality no remedy is effective. Some of the methods include putting a tablespoon of honey on the spot, hot towels, toothpaste and many others. However topical treatment is not going to be efficient at all because the damage is internal. Broken capillaries can’t be cured with any of the promising methods. Also it is very important not to pick the hickey constantly as you may only make the damage worse. The best and only thing you can do is to wait until it goes away, or perhaps apply a little makeup to cover up the bruise.
- Hickeys are considered sex injuries because they might require treatment
Sex injuries happen more common than you may think. People can get severely hurt during sexual intercourse, and the appearance of hickey is one of the most common. Hickey is damage to the blood vessels no matter what area on your body it appears on. Besides being a potential cause of a heart attack hickeys can even cause paralysis. In case they cause internal bleeding it has to be treated to prevent further damage. The nervous system can also become affected because the places where hickeys usually appear are those that have a lot of nerve endings. Damaging those nerve endings could cause issues with the nervous system thus lead to paralysis or retarded movement.
Do you still think that hickeys are completely harmless? Next time you have sexual intercourse try not to get too wild and injure yourself or your partner because a moment of fun could turn into a lifelong damage.