A hickey shouldn't cause any real problems, but see a doctor if: The hickey doesn't go away after a couple of weeks. The bruise is very sore. You notice other bruises on your body, especially if you don't know how you got them.
Hickeys are like friendship bracelets - juvenile and a little bit childish. While they are great and maybe even significant when you're a kid/teenager, they tend to lose their appeal the older you get.
There's never any reason to shame someone for having a hickey mark — like all forms of consensual sexual behavior, you don't have to justify someone making out with your neck — but the paradox of the hickey is that it takes something private and creates a public, lingering effect.
Why Do Lovers Give A Hickey? Hickeys are usually a sign of desire, passion, and romance and a way of marking territory or a loved one. It may simply be a passionate reminder of one's love for another. Remember that hickeys are sexual marks and people will often assume that you had an extra passionate time last night.
“Hickeys are like marking territory. They represent an intimate thing that happened and make me feel like a caveman,” he said. “The adrenaline and dopamine rush from that alone is enough to get me going.” It's easy to get carried away, but consent and communication are still important.
Hickeys should be celebrated, not stigmatized. Having a mark on your neck means that you were shown love, which there isn't enough of in the world already. Many are quick to assume that you've recently had sex or that you have a controlling partner that just wanted to “leave their mark.” This is not always the case.
Alternatively, possessive types may use love bites as a mark of possession to show everyone else you are taken. In which case you should take that as a red flag. For others it's a show of affection. Simply a regular part of a passionate kissing session.
In some cases, hickeys are intentional bruises, as either a way of "marking" one's territory or because of certain types of sexual play that both partners agree to. Other times, hickeys happen by accident, like when a make out sesh gets a little too heated.
“Hickey” is a slang term for a bruise caused by sucking or kissing a person's skin during a passionate moment. A hickey can be a trophy from a pleasing make-out session, but it can also be point of shame: something that a girl feels she must hide from her parents and teachers.
Unlike other forms of bruising, however, visible neck hickeys tend to carry a slight social stigma, as they can be interpreted as a sign of recent sexual activity, and therefore perceived as being vulgar.
Jaber says that the hickey itself isn't really what leads to you or your bae being turned on. But it's more the process of getting there. "It's not the hickey itself that's making you aroused, it's the act of kissing that's causing the arousal," Dr. Jaber says.
Other skin conditions: Eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis can cause hickey-like marks. These conditions can cause red, scaly rashes that may be itchy or painful. Bruises and petechiae, which are small, pinpoint red or purple marks, can also resemble hickeys.
Do hickeys hurt? If your partner gives you a hickey, the area might be a little sore for the first day or two afterward. You might also experience a tiny bit of swelling. You shouldn't have any serious pain or swelling, though.
Bad news—hickeys don't go away overnight. Like any other type of bruise, you're looking at around 10-14 days of healing time. Don't panic! There are a few things you can do to speed up the healing process and get rid of your hickey faster.
Makeup tools: The most effective tool to hide the hickey is by using smart make-up tricks. The green-tinted concealer is the best as it negates the red tones of the skin. Apply a foundation that's a little lighter than your skin tone, directly on the hickey (love bite) and all around it.
However, hickeys (and other markings) can be controlling and abusive if there isn't consent. It's important to ask and talk about what each partner is comfortable with and to respect boundaries.
A hickey, hickie or love bite in British English, is a bruise or bruise-like mark caused by kissing or sucking skin, usually on the neck, arm, or earlobe. While biting may be part of giving a hickey, sucking is sufficient to burst small superficial blood vessels under the skin.
First and foremost, it's a way to show affection and mark territory. It's like saying, "Hey, you're mine!" in a playful and slightly possessive way. It can also be a sign of passion and intensity, a physical expression of desire and attraction. When was the last time someone gave you a hickey?
The side or the back of the neck is a good bet if your partner has long hair, or you could go to the collarbones, closer to the shoulder, so the skin can be covered by a regular crew-neck T-shirt.
Check for a bruise on the neck or shoulder area.
Most hickeys happen on the exposed skin above the collarbone. Those areas are kind of hard to bruise by accident, so a hickey is usually the culprit. People with hickeys usually cover them up by wearing scarves or turtlenecks.
There's nothing wrong with giving a hickey unless it hurts the person getting one. Hickeys vary in size and color depending on the length of time and how strongly the skin is sucked. They can happen anywhere on the body, but the skin on the neck is often where they show up.