[Question #9560] Hickey

31 months ago

Hi,

I received a hickey (a love bite) from an escort a few days ago. It was on my neck. I am not sure if my skin was broken or not. I don't remember very obvious bleeding. Do I need HIV testing? Thanks very much for your help!

Edward W. Hook M.D.

31 months ago

Welcome to the Forum. Most commercial sex workers do not have HIV. Furthermore, HIV is not transmitted through kissing or in saliva. While there is a theoretical concern that HIV might be transmitted by a human bite from an infected untreated person, I am not aware of any proven cases where this occurred. A hickey is somewhere in between and I would not consider it to have put you at risk for HIV. I see no need for concern or for testing.

I hope this assessment is helpful to you. EWH

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31 months ago

Thank you very much for your reply!

I am very anxious because I can't recall any details. I don't know if my skin was broken or not, and I don't know if there was any blood. I don't recall significant bleeding, but I didn't check my neck carefully. I fear that there were wounds that I overlooked. Let's assume that my skin was broken and there was blood. Can I move forward without worry?

I promise I will never let similar things happen in the future. My anxiety is killing me. I have OCD, so I want to avoid testing if possible. I appreciate your help. Your reply will save my life.

Edward W. Hook M.D.

31 months ago

No change in my assessment, irrespective of whether or not the skin was broken ( which is unlikely). No need for testing. EWH ---

31 months ago

Thank you!

I am sorry if my question is repetitive.

In the worst case, even if the escort had bleeding gums (I don’t know if she had), and my skin was broken (with a small amount of my blood coming from small wounds on my neck), the risk was still negligible. So there is no need for testing.

Do you agree with my summary?

I really appreciate your response!

Edward W. Hook M.D.

31 months ago

I agree with your summary. I have no concern that you could have acquired HIV from the hickey you received.

As you know, we provide up to three responses to each client's questions. Thus this thread will be closed shortly without further responses. I hope you have found my comments helpful. EWH

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