Why Does Cupping Leave Marks — And How Long Do They Last?

Those circular marks you've seen on athletes look like they hurt like hell, but they aren't bruises, and they aren't what you think.

What the Marks Actually Are

A bruise comes from blunt trauma, where something hits you, the blood vessels rupture from the impact, and blood pools under the skin as a result of that damage.

Cupping marks form through a completely different mechanism. The suction pulls the skin and superficial tissue up into the cup, which draws blood toward the surface and causes tiny capillaries to release small amounts of blood into the surrounding tissue.¹ There's no impact, no trauma, and no damage to the deeper muscle or tissue, just blood that's been brought to the surface where you can see it through the skin.

That's why the marks aren't a sign of injury the way a bruise is. A bruise is the result of damaged tissue, while a cupping mark is blood drawn to the surface by suction, even though the area can still feel tender for a few days afterward.

Why Some Marks Are Darker Than Others

Not everyone marks the same way, and the same person won't mark the same way every session. The color depends on how much suction was used, how long the cups stayed on, and how much restriction and congestion was in the tissue to begin with.

Areas that are tight, overworked, or restricted tend to draw darker, and as the tissue quality in an area improves over repeated sessions, the marks often show up lighter and clear faster.² The marks are giving you information about where the tissue is holding tension.

One thing the marks do not indicate is toxins being pulled out of the body. That's a common claim, and it isn't accurate, because the discoloration is blood brought to the surface by suction and nothing more.

How Long Do They Last?

For most people, cupping marks fade within one to ten days.³ Lighter marks can clear in a day or two, while darker marks from tighter areas or stronger suction sit at the longer end of that range, and in some cases closer to two weeks.

Hydration, circulation, and how active you are all play a role, since the marks fade as your body reabsorbs the surface blood through normal circulation, which means better circulation clears them faster.

If you've got an event, a photo shoot, or anything where you'd rather not have visible marks, plan your session accordingly and give yourself a week to ten days of buffer.

Does It Hurt?

The session can be uncomfortable, and the amount of discomfort tracks directly with how much tension the tissue is holding. The tighter and more restricted an area is, the more you'll feel it when the cups go to work. That's the tissue telling you where the problem is.

The marks themselves are tender to the touch for a few days afterward, similar to how an area feels after deep soft tissue work. That tenderness fades as the marks clear.

How I Use Cupping at BBPS

The cupping you've seen on athletes is the same principle I use, applied in a clinical, controlled way. It's one tool inside a session rather than the whole thing, and I work through the tissue by hand first before bringing in the cups where they'll help, adjusting the suction to match what the tissue actually needs.

Cupping decompresses and lifts tissue, which complements the hands-on work rather than replacing it. Used right, it's a controlled way to improve tissue glide and circulation in the areas that need it.

If the circles have always made you curious, there's nothing to be intimidated by, because they're not what they look like.

Curious about cupping? Come see what it can do for you.

Book a Performance Bodywork Session → https://www.vagaro.com/bigburdperformancesystems/services

Learn more about Performance Bodywork at BBPS → https://www.bigburdperformancesystems.com/recovery-bodywork

Sources

¹ Takeuchi I, Yoshimiya M, Ueda A, Kakimoto Y. Circular skin lesions mimicking blunt trauma: a forensic case of cupping therapy. Cureus. 2025;17(7):e87240. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12317738/

² Al-Bedah AMN, et al. The medical perspective of cupping therapy: effects and mechanisms of action. J Tradit Complement Med. 2019;9(2):90-97. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6435947/

³ Cupping therapy. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538253/