Skin Diseases

Cold sores also known fever blisters are small wounds which appear on the lips or around the mouth. These sores seemingly appear at random and can be both very painful and embarrassing. Realistic is that the herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes cold sores.

Majority of people find the connection between herpes and cold sores are related, but it is not really. There are two types of herpes simplex virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 usually causes cold sores and is found in many people. HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes and is very rare. Sometimes HSV-2 does cause mouth herpes and HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but it is not common and seen very often.

The herpes simplex virus-1 virus is usually transmitted through contact with a body fluid such as kissing, or it can spread through, coughing, sneezing or touching a cold sore. The HSV-1 virus is often spread from parent to their child when the child comes in contact with an object that a parent with a cold sore has used. The first time a person is infected with the HSV-1 virus is called the primary herpetic stomatitis and usually does not result in a cold sore. The virus can lie dormant for many years. Most people come into contact with the HSV-1 virus by the time they are five years old but do not get their first cold sore until after puberty.

Cold sores usually go away on it own over a week to ten days. They do not leave scars and often do not recur for years. The cold sores often burst open after a couple of days and expel a clear fluid before drying up and disappearing.

For most people, cold sores are very painful or embarrassing to be left alone to simply disappear independently. For these people, there are over counter medicine and prescription medicines help to speed up the healing process. Cold sores are a very painful nuisance that nearly everyone experiences. There is no prevention for cold sores

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