How Hickeys Can Kill You?

Clots that form in the deep veins of your legs, arms or torso can become lodged in the lungs, a dangerous situation called pulmonary embolism. The odds of dying from a hickey-induced blood clot are vanishingly small. But venous blood clots kill more people than breast cancer, car crashes, and AIDS combined each year.

Can you die from hickeys?

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.

What damage can hickeys do?

Whether you call it a hickey or a love bite, it's essentially a bruise. The suction from your partner's mouth causes damage to the capillaries, which are small blood vessels under your skin. This damage causes your capillaries to leak blood, but the blood doesn't have anywhere to go.