Can A Hickey Kill You?
When you’re a teen you often get carried away necking and kissing each other to the point where you’re left with hickeys or bruises on your neck. Recently a teen couple made headlines when a 17-year-old in Mexico City died after suffering a stroke that doctors believe was caused by the hickey his girlfriend gave him.
Julio Macias Gonzalez had convulsions and unfortunately died; doctors suspect that this was caused by the suction from a hickey that led to a blood clot that traveled to his brain, causing him a stroke.
This isn’t the first time a hickey sends someone to the hospital. In 2010 a 44-year-old woman had a minor stroke after a hickey caused a blood clot that traveled to her heart.
What exactly happens when you get a hickey?
Love bites or hickeys are very common among teens; especially those that want to “mark their territory”. You won’t get a hickey from kissing someone on the neck, but if you focus on one spot for 20 to 30 seconds and suck hard enough, then chances are you’ll be successful at leaving someone a bruise on their neck. The strong suction breaks through the capillaries beneath the skin, which cause the bruising.
