They can show health problems or even land you in the hospital if you're unfortunate enough. Here are some facts about hickeys that may cause you to rethink how hard you're going to kiss your partner next time.
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#1 First thing's first: what IS a hickey?
Hickeys are essentially bruises caused by the aggressive biting or sucking on someone else's flesh. Hmm, "love bites" or "kiss marks" are pretty accurate titles.
#2 Iron Deficiency
If you get hickeys very easily and they tend to stay for a long time, it could be a sign that you have an iron deficiency.
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#3 Oral Herpes
Since hickeys are caused by biting and sucking, if your partner has oral herpes and breaks the skin, you'll get herpes too.
#4 Cure
Nope. There's no cure or magical remedy. Hickeys are something you just have to wait out. Or attempt to massage away (e.g. break up and disperse the blood) but really, you just have to wait.
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#5 Permanent?
Well no, but if you get a bad enough hickey it can actually stay for weeks upon weeks. Even months. Yikes.
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#6 Sex accidents, they're a thing.
And hickeys are the most common out of all of them! Which is a good thing because sex injuries can get pret-ty bad.
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#7 Blood Clots
In 2011, a New Zealand woman suffered a brain hemorrhage because of a hickey. She got a blood clot in her neck, paralyzing her left arm, and ended up in the hospital.
