Hickey Or Bruise

Hickey Or Bruise
Medically Reviewed by Hansa D. Bhargava, MD on August 03, 2020
A hickey is a dark red or purple mark on your skin caused by intense suction. Like other bruises, it should fade in about 2 weeks. The neck is a common site for hickeys because of its easy access, but you can get them anywhere.
When your partner sucks on and bites your skin, the pressure breaks little blood vessels under the surface. Those broken vessels release tiny spots of blood called petechiae.
A collection of these blood spots forms a larger dark spot, which is basically a bruise . The bruise may change color over time from red or dark purple to yellow.
Here's a guide to the causes of, and solutions to, hickeys.
To bring down swelling and reduce bleeding, put an ice pack on it for the first 1-2 days after the mark appears. Wrap the ice pack in a towel and hold it to your skin for 15 minutes at a time, several times a day. After the second day, you can switch to a warm compress.
If the hickey hurts, take an over-the-counter pain reliever like acetaminophen .
When you have a hickey on your neck, people tend to know how it got there. You can always cover it. Options include:
Good communication may be the most effective way to prevent a hickey.
A hickey shouldn't cause any real problems, but see a doctor if:
These symptoms could be a sign of a medical condition, like a blood disease or clotting disorder.
It's not very likely, but a handful of serious injuries have happened after hickeys.
For example, a New Zealand woman got a hickey and became partially paralyzed. Emergency room doctors found a clot in their brain and treated them for a stroke. And a 35-year-old woman in Denmark became weak on their right side from a stroke 12 hours after they'd gotten a hickey.
How might a hickey lead to a stroke? It takes a very unusual set of circumstances. A major blood vessel called the carotid artery runs down either side of your neck. This artery supplies blood to your brain, face, and neck. In theory, putting a lot of pressure on the carotid artery might cause a clot to form or shake loose a clot that's already there.
This series of events is very unlikely. The women in New Zealand and Denmark could have had earlier artery problems that put them at greater risk for a stroke.
To be on the safe side, try not to give or receive a hickey close to the carotid artery. That's the area at the top of your neck, just to the side of your chin.
Cleveland Clinic: "Bruises: Management and Treatment."
Lees, M. Skin Care: Beyond the Basics , Cengage Learning, 2013.
Medscape: "Can a Hickey Really Cause a Stroke?"
Ugeskr Laeger : "Love bite on the neck resulted in an embolic stroke."
Payne-James, J. Simpson's Forensic Medicine , CRC Press, 2011.
The New Zealand Medical Journal : "Love bites -- an unusual cause of blunt internal carotid artery injury."
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WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Does this look like a hickey or a bruise?
Author has 6.3K answers and 5.9M answer views · 2 y ·
How can I tell if it's a hickey or a bruise on a female breast?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise or a skin irritation?
What is the difference between a bruise and a hickey?
What are some clear cut signs of a hickey on someone's neck?
Author has 69 answers and 92.2K answer views · 3 y ·
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How can I tell if it's a hickey or a bruise on a female breast?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise or a skin irritation?
What is the difference between a bruise and a hickey?
What are some clear cut signs of a hickey on someone's neck?
What do I tell my 15 year old daughter who came home with a "hickey" on her neck?
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A random mark appeared on my stomach this morning that wasn’t there before. It looks a bit like a hickey (but it isn’t), doesn’t hurt when I press it but hurts a bit when I stroke my finger over it. Does anyone know what it could be? See comments!
I sucked my shoulder. I basically gave myself a hickey. I have swimming tomorrow. What should I do to hide the bruise, or will people not question it? Could I pass it off as falling down?
What does a bruise look like underneath the skin?
Can't I tell if my husband has a scratch or a hickey?
Can hickey bruises be formed in 3 hours?
How can I tell if it's a hickey or a bruise on a female breast?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise or a skin irritation?
What is the difference between a bruise and a hickey?
What are some clear cut signs of a hickey on someone's neck?
What do I tell my 15 year old daughter who came home with a "hickey" on her neck?
Girlfriend had a green/yellow bruise on her neck near her jaw line, she said it was a bruise from when we had a play fight and grabbed each other’s necks, could it be a hickey/lovebite and is it possible to have a bruise from the grabbing of a neck?
I can't tell if this is a scratch or hickey on my husband. What do I do?
What if a hickey has a bruise on it?
What do I do if I find hickeys on my 13-year-old daughter?
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A hickey IS a bruise. And you didn’t include a photo anyway.
There is no difference between a “hickey” and a bruise. Both are the result of trauma just under the skin that breaks capillaries. When the blood vessels break, they release small amounts of blood that has already given up its oxygen, which is bonded to the red cells, to the tissues, and therefore has a bluish tint rather than the red color of arterial blood that still contains oxygen. When you get a cut that doesn’t involve an artery, the blood appears red as it seeps from the wound because it has come in contact with the oxygen in the room air. Same reason when you have blood drawn, the vein
There is no difference between a “hickey” and a bruise. Both are the result of trauma just under the skin that breaks capillaries. When the blood vessels break, they release small amounts of blood that has already given up its oxygen, which is bonded to the red cells, to the tissues, and therefore has a bluish tint rather than the red color of arterial blood that still contains oxygen. When you get a cut that doesn’t involve an artery, the blood appears red as it seeps from the wound because it has come in contact with the oxygen in the room air. Same reason when you have blood drawn, the vein appears blue under the skin, but any blood that escapes from the puncture would appears dark red in color. The more oxygen the hemoglobin in the red cell contains, the brighter red it appears.

What's the difference between and

Alternative forms
* bruize ( obsolete )

Verb
( bruis )
To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it.
To damage the skin of (fruit), in an analogous way.
Of fruit, to gain bruises through being handled roughly.
Bananas bruise easily.
To become bruised.
I bruise easily.
To fight with the fists; to box.
* Thackeray
Bruising was considered a fine, manly, old English custom.

Noun
( en noun )
(medicine) A purplish mark on the skin due to leakage of blood from capillaries under the surface that have been damaged by a blow.
A dark mark on fruit caused by a blow to its surface.

Synonyms
* ( medical ) ecchymosis, contusion ( technical term )
* See also

Anagrams
*
*
*
English ergative verbs
----

Noun
( en noun )
(US, slang) A bruise-like mark made during petting by pressing the mouth to the skin on one’s partner’s body and sucking.
(informal, slang) an object whose name is unknown or cannot be recalled.
(printing) A printing defect caused by foreign matter on the printing surface resulting in a ring where the ink is missing, appearing as a spot of ink surrounded by a halo.
Local swelling in a tissue area, especially skin, often due to injury.
A tool for making smooth, semicircular bends in conduit and pipe.
(US, slang, business, finance) An unintended negative outcome or loss in regards to a deal or action, often preceded by the words "taking a ..." or "took a ... ".

Synonyms
* ( bruise-like mark ) love bite, lovebite, knot
* ( tool ) conduit bender
* See also

Derived terms
* doohickey, dohickey

See also
* Web page on printing hickeys
English placeholder terms

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply.
See Wiktionary Terms of Use for details.

What is the difference between a bruise and a hickey?
I think, therefore I think, I think? OK, I think I think... · Author has 370 answers and 704.2K answer views · Updated 3 y ·
How can I tell if it's a hickey or a bruise on a female breast?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise?
What are some clear cut signs of a hickey on someone's neck?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise or a skin irritation?
Girlfriend had a green/yellow bruise on her neck near her jaw line, she said it was a bruise from when we had a play fight and grabbed each other’s necks, could it be a hickey/lovebite and is it possible to have a bruise from the grabbing of a neck?
MD, PhD in Medicine and Healthcare & Human Genetics , NYU Alumni ( Graduated 1971 ) · Author has 1.2K answers and 186K answer views · 3 y ·
How can I tell if it's a hickey or a bruise on a female breast?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise?
What are some clear cut signs of a hickey on someone's neck?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise or a skin irritation?
Girlfriend had a green/yellow bruise on her neck near her jaw line, she said it was a bruise from when we had a play fight and grabbed each other’s necks, could it be a hickey/lovebite and is it possible to have a bruise from the grabbing of a neck?
What if a hickey has a bruise on it?
I can't tell if this is a scratch or hickey on my husband. What do I do?
My girlfriend says this is a bruise from moving heavy shoulder bags. Does this look like a hickey or bruise?
What does it mean if a guy grabs your breast while giving you a hickey?
My 14-year-old daughter had a sleepover at her friends house and came home with a hickey on her neck. What should I do about this?
Does a hickey, if I gave it to myself, with the purpose of bruising, and as an alternative to cutting, count as s/h?
I sucked my shoulder. I basically gave myself a hickey. I have swimming tomorrow. What should I do to hide the bruise, or will people not question it? Could I pass it off as falling down?
Can hickey bruises be formed in 3 hours?
My partner is into bruising. How do I give them a bruise without throwing them at a wall but also with it being kind of hot? I’m not talking about hickeys but more like on their thighs or arms.
When a man puts a hickey on your neck, does it mean he loves you and doesn't want anyone else to have you?
How can I tell if it's a hickey or a bruise on a female breast?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise?
What are some clear cut signs of a hickey on someone's neck?
Does this look like a hickey or a bruise or a skin irritation?
Girlfriend had a green/yellow bruise on her neck near her jaw line, she said it was a bruise from when we had a play fight and grabbed each other’s necks, could it be a hickey/lovebite and is it possible to have a bruise from the grabbing of a neck?
What if a hickey has a bruise on it?
I can't tell if this is a scratch or hickey on my husband. What do I do?
My girlfriend says this is a bruise from moving heavy shoulder bags. Does this look like a hickey or bruise?
What does it mean if a guy grabs your breast while giving you a hickey?
My 14-year-old daughter had a sleepover at her friends house and came home with a hickey on her neck. What should I do about this?
Something went wrong. Wait a moment and try again.
Both are subdermal hematomas (bleeding under the skin), so technically there is no real difference. However:
Just a short list, likely other differences, but in the end they are
Both are subdermal hematomas (bleeding under the skin), so technically there is no real difference. However:
Just a short list, likely other differences, but in the end they are all bleeding under the skin.
A bruise is not hemorrhage of a specific shape. The hickey is also a hemorrhage of a specific shape. ( bite marks)

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Hickey Or Bruise

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