Love bites are usually associated with teenagers in their first throes of sexual awakening but, let’s be honest, all of us are capable of getting carried away – many of us have at least one mate over the age of 25 that’s sheepishly showed up for pints sporting a little romantic bruise on their neck.
However, as cringe as love bites are, they’re often not particularly harmful but in very rare circumstances, a love bite could actually result in a stroke.
If you weren’t aware, according to Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland, a stroke “happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted.
“As a result, brain cells get less of the oxygen and nutrients that they need. This can damage or even kill some of your brain cells, which causes different effects depending on where it happens in your brain.”
Strokes are a medical emergency and, untreated, could put your life at risk. So, a big deal.
Love bite causes stroke
Back in 2014, a 35 year old woman experienced a sudden onset of right-sided weakness due to a stroke that occurred 12 hours after she got a love bite on the left side of her neck. Following further research and examination, it was determined that love bites on the neck are a rare cause of stroke.
This is something that The Skin Doctor on TikTok has been raising awareness about, too. In a short video, he said “if you are in the business of showing affection through hickeys, learn to know where the carotid artery is or you may end up learning what happens when somebody has a stroke.”
So, how do we safely give love bites?
Remember, this is still very unlikely and giving love bites is harmless. However, if you’re concerned but still want to leave visible signs of lust on your partner’s body, make sure that you don’t suck too hard on either side of the neck as that’s where the carotid arteries are and consider other places that they could be placed like, near other erogenous zones or further down the body.