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What is a Love Bite?

Published in Body Marks 2 mins read

A love bite, also known as a hickey or hickie, is essentially a bruise caused by kissing or sucking on the skin. These marks most often appear on the neck, arm, or earlobe.

Understanding Love Bites

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

  • Cause: Love bites are created when sucking action causes small blood vessels (capillaries) beneath the skin to burst. This leads to blood leaking into the surrounding tissue, creating the telltale discoloration.
  • Appearance: They typically look like a red or purplish bruise. The color may change over time as the body reabsorbs the leaked blood.
  • Location: While love bites can occur anywhere, they're most common on the neck, arm, and earlobe due to these areas being easily accessible and having thinner skin.
  • How it Happens: While biting can be part of creating a love bite, it’s usually the suction that causes the bruising.

Common Terms

Term Definition
Love bite A colloquial term, mainly used in British English, to refer to a hickey.
Hickey A more common term for the bruise-like mark.
Hickie Another spelling variant for hickey, all referring to the same skin mark.

Key Takeaways

  • Love bites are essentially bruises.
  • They're caused by suction that bursts small blood vessels.
  • They most often appear on the neck, arms, and earlobes.
  • Biting may sometimes contribute, but sucking is the main culprit.