Love bites during s*x: A risky fetish or harmless kink?

The gist

A hickey is another name for love bites. Typically, these are bite marks on parts of the body.

A hickey is frequently planted on the neck, but they do not need to be there. They might be in your earlobes, even on your genitals, arms, or legs.

Some people enjoy flashing their hickey around as a sign of a wild night, but others may be hesitant or think it's a sign of teenage excitement.

Love bites or hickies are wounds and scars that result from the teeth breaking your capillaries, they are rarely life-threatening wounds.

Humans aren't the only ones who give love bites. Cats and other animals also enjoy giving love bites to themselves while mating.

How to give a love bite

Ask your partner first because they might not be into it if you give them a love bite.

Consent is crucial. If you just dive into it, it might be taken as a sign of abuse or violence. Unless it's what they want, don't just leap in and bite like a vampire.

Slow, sloppy kisses are a good place to start; stay there until you go all in.

Naturally, you don't want to injure them, so stay away from areas near the bone or carotid artery.

If you want to bite them, go for it but you don't need to bite someone to give them a hickey; merely sucking on their body for a few seconds will do.

Some risks

There are some risks associated with giving a hickey, even though they may appear intriguing and kinky.

You run a very high chance of contracting oral herpes if your partner bites you when they are infected.

Additionally, it may be a sign that you are iron deficient if you bruise easily during sexual activity even when your partner isn't trying to give you a hickey.

Also, a 17-year-old suffered a stroke after getting a hickey, though that instance could have been an isolated event.