Everybody always talks about hickeys in junior high and high school, but how do these mysterious red welts on peoples necks appear?

A hickey is actually broken blood vessels beneath the skin. It's sort of like a bruise, if you got hit with a baseball and the impact broke the blood vessels. But instead of being caused by a foul ball, it's caused by the other person's mouth.

What you do is put your mouth against the side of their neck, in a kissing shape. You leave your mouth slightly open in the middle, like you're saying the letter "O". Now you suck in! You suck the skin into your mouth, in essence hurting it, and causing the blood vessels to break. This turns that circular area bright red. It doesn't take long, maybe 30 seconds, and yes, it hurts the person you're doing it to. But to some, it's a temporary mark of love. Sort of like a tattoo that fades naturally after a few days.

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