Treatments For Herpes Simplex
Theres no cure for herpes. Sores often clear up on their own, but keeping the affected area clean and using antiviral creams can alleviate pain and irritation during flare-ups. These drugs and creams are most effective when applied as soon as irritation begins, before sores appear. Prompt treatment can shorten the length of the outbreak.
Antiviral drugs
Certain antiviral drugs can shorten the lengths of outbreaks, while others that are taken daily can reduce the frequency of outbreaks and reduce the chance of spreading. Some prescription antiviral medicines are:
Home care
Certain measures can be taken to prevent outbreaks, such as wearing sunscreen on the affected area when spending time outside. There are also a few tricks to soothe outbreaks when they initially begin:
- Take aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen to reduce swelling and relieve pain
- Place a cool cloth on the sores
- Keep the area dry and clean
- Wash your hands and dont touch the area
- For genital herpes, take lukewarm baths and wear soft, loose clothing to avoid irritation
What You Need To Know
- Herpes simplex virus , also known as genital herpes, is most likely to be spread when an infected person is having an outbreak, but it can also be transmitted without any symptoms being present.
- Medications can help reduce your symptoms, speed up the healing of an outbreak and make you less contagious.
- If you know you have genital herpes before becoming pregnant, your physician will monitor your condition throughout your pregnancy. If you have an active outbreak at the time of delivery, cesarean section may be recommended.
Why Genital Herpes Comes Back
Genital herpes is caused by a virus called herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, it stays in your body.
It will not spread in your body to cause blisters elsewhere. It stays in a nearby nerve and causes blisters in the same area.
If you can, avoid things that trigger your symptoms.
Triggers can include:
- surgery on your genital area
- a weakened immune system for example, from having chemotherapy for cancer
Read Also: How To Lower The Chances Of Spreading Herpes
How Effective Is Hsv Eraser Treatment
Thanks to this treatment I was able to get rid of herpes simplex. I was infected with both herpes simplex viruses and now the laboratory tests indicate I have been cured of the disease.
HSV Eraser has been used by over 27,442 patients from different parts of the world in all these cases the results have also been totally satisfactory.
Can You Sleep With Someone With Herpes And Not Get It
Yes. Herpes can be passed on even if a partner has no sores or other signs and symptoms of an outbreak. And if a partner has a herpes outbreak, it’s even more likely to be spread. Even when a person doesn’t have visible sores, the only surefire way to protect against getting genital herpes is abstinence.
Also Check: How Long Do Genital Herpes Sores Take To Heal
How Long Do Herpes Symptoms Take To Show
On average, it takes about 4 days after exposure to start showing the symptoms of herpes. The herpes incubation period ranges between 2 and 12 days. The most common early sign of herpes is sores around the genitals or mouth.
The first time you get the herpes virus, it may cause flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, headache, and body aches. Then, subsequent outbreaks may cause sores and less severe symptoms. Generally, the frequency of outbreaks lessens over time.
How Do Dermatologists Treat Herpes Simplex
There is no cure for herpes simplex. The good news is that sores often clear without treatment. Many people choose to treat herpes simplex because treatment can relieve symptoms and shorten an outbreak.
Most people are treated with an antiviral medicine. An antiviral cream or ointment can relieve the burning, itching, or tingling. An antiviral medicine that is oral or intravenous can shorten an outbreak of herpes.
Prescription antiviral medicines approved for the treatment of both types of herpes simplex include:
Taken daily, these medicines can lessen the severity and frequency of outbreaks. They also can help prevent infected people from spreading the virus.
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How Does Genital Herpes Affect Pregnancy
Herpes simplex virus doesnt affect fertility or your ability to conceive. Pregnant women diagnosed with HSV-2 should start a daily antiviral at 36 weeks of pregnancy as prescribed, to prevent outbreaks during delivery. If you have an active infection at the time of childbirth, you can pass the herpes virus to your baby. Neonatal herpes puts a baby at risk for blindness, brain damage, skin infections and death. Your healthcare provider will perform a cesarean section to lower this risk.
What Are The Chances Of A Woman Giving A Man Herpes
The general rate of transmission of a person who has had herpes to their regular partner is about 10 percent per year, but the annual rate rises if the infected partner is a male. Unfairly, the female partner has a 20 percent chance of becoming infected, while the male partner’s risk is less than 10 percent.
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What Happens If I Dont Receive Treatment
Genital herpes can cause painful genital sores and can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems.
If you touch your sores or fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another body part like your eyes. Do not touch the sores or fluids to avoid spreading herpes to another part of your body. If you do touch the sores or fluids, quickly wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading the infection.
If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your unborn fetus, or newborn baby. See Im pregnant. How could genital herpes affect my baby? for information about this.
How Do You Get Herpes
Oral herpes can be spread through saliva, kissing, and skin-to-skin contact. HSV-1 can also cause genital herpes, if the genital areas are exposed to fever blisters or sores on the mouth or face, or through oral sex. Even though HSV-1 also never completely goes away, that strain of the virus causes fewer outbreaks over time in the genital areas than HSV-2.
Genital herpes can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact and/or sexual intercourse of all types . Most people dont realize that sores from genital herpes can appear on the face as well as the genital area. Because the virus can spread any time contact occurs with a blister or sore, a condom doesnt always provide sufficient protection.
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What If We Could Finally Cure Herpes This Scientist Is On The Case
Robert Hood / Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
In May 2020, the World Health Organization estimated that around half a billion people worldwide are living with genital herpes, and several billion have oral herpes. While there are antiviral medications available to help reduce symptoms, there is no cure.
Recently, a paper published in the science journal Nature Communications reported that a team of researchers was able to eliminate over 90 percent of latent herpes simplex virus, which causes oral and genital herpes, in mice. Curing mice is a long way from curing humans, but its still an exciting step.To better understand how researchers were able to achieve this success and whether it holds the same promise for humans in the future, we spoke with one of the studys authors, Keith Jerome, M.D., Ph.D., a physician and medical researcher on the faculty at the University of Washington, in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
How Does Herpes Simplex Spread
Herpes spreads through close contact with a person who has the infection. The virus can be found in skin and saliva. If you have herpes simplex, you are most likely to pass the virus to another person when you have sores. But you can infect someone else even if you have no symptoms. Healthcare providers call this asymptomatic viral shedding.
People may get HSV-1 through
- Touching a persons skin near the mouth.
- Sharing food utensils, lip balm or razors.
- If you receive oral sex from someone who has a cold sore, it may spread a herpes infection to your genitals.
People may get HSV-2 through
- Oral sex with someone whos infected.
- Skin-to-skin contact without ejaculation.
- Touching open sores, including while breastfeeding.
- Childbirth by a mother or gestational parent who has an active infection.
You cant get genital herpes from objects like toilet seats. But you could pass genital herpes through shared sex toys.
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Is There A Cure For Herpes
Two strains of herpes called HSV-1 and HSV-2 are responsible for herpes outbreaks. Genetically, these strains are not the same, but they produce similar symptoms in people. These strains can cause sores, bumps, and other unsightly irritations that are embarrassing and uncomfortable too. You experience these symptoms during “flare ups”, which is the time when the virus tries to replicate. These flare-ups can last for a week or longer in some cases. People suffering from this condition often ask if there is a cure for herpes. Is it really possible to treat this condition and save yourself from dealing with all the pain and discomfort it causes?
What Types Of Herpes Can Be Cured With Hsv Eraser
The types of herpes depend on the criteria you choose. It is common to use the causative virus to differentiate one type of herpes from another.
It is also common to establish herpes types by the part of the body affected by the disease. The best known types by this criterion are cold sores and genital herpes.
There is a relationship between the part of the body that herpes affects and the virus that causes the disease. Herpes that affects the genitals is primarily caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 and herpes simplex virus type 1 causes the disease most often in the upper parts of the body.
Treatment works against all herpes of these types it is a permanent cure for genital herpes, which affects thousands of people.
I would now like you to refer to the results that have been achieved with the treatment in the patients who have used it.
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Who Might Get Herpes Simplex
People of any age can contract herpes simplex. You are more likely to get the virus if you:
- Were assigned female at birth.
- Have had multiple sex partners.
- Started having sex at a young age.
- Have a history of any sexually transmitted infection .
- Have a weakened immune system.
- Dont use condoms for intercourse and dental dams for oral sex.
Who gets HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes?
Anyone can get HSV-1. Most people contract HSV-1 during childhood. It spreads when an adult who has the virus has close contact with a child, such as when a family member kisses a child.
Who gets HSV-2, commonly known as genital herpes?
Genital herpes affects sexually active teens and adults of all genders and races. It can spread if you have multiple sexual partners and dont use condoms or dental dams.
People assigned female at birth are more at risk. Delicate vaginal tissue can tear, making it easier for the infection to get in. Black people who were AFAB are especially vulnerable, with an estimated 1 in 2 people AFAB between the ages of 14 and 49 infected with HSV-2.
How Is Herpes Simplex Treated
Some people have few to no herpes outbreaks and choose not to have treatment. But many people prefer to use medications that shorten outbreaks and reduce symptoms.
During an outbreak, you may use an antiviral ointment or cream to help lessen your symptoms and help them go away faster, but it only works if you start it soon after you start an outbreak. Many people with HSV-2 take daily oral medications to keep outbreaks at bay.
Your provider may prescribe a topical medication or oral medication such as:
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What Happens If I Dont Get Treated
Genital herpes can cause painful genital sores and can be severe in people with suppressed immune systems.
If you touch your sores or the fluids from the sores, you may transfer herpes to another part of your body, such as your eyes. Do not touch the sores or fluids to avoid spreading herpes to another part of your body. If you do touch the sores or fluids, immediately wash your hands thoroughly to help avoid spreading your infection.
If you are pregnant, there can be problems for you and your developing fetus, or newborn baby. See Im pregnant. How could genital herpes affect my baby? above for information about this.
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How Is Genital Herpes Spread
- Saliva from a partner with an oral herpes infection
- Genital fluids from a partner with a genital herpes infection
- Skin in the oral area of a partner with oral herpes or
- Skin in the genital area of a partner with genital herpes.
You also can get genital herpes from a sex partner who does not have a visible sore or is unaware of their infection. It is also possible to get genital herpes if you receive oral sex from a partner with oral herpes.
You will not get herpes from toilet seats, bedding, or swimming pools. You also will not get it from touching objects, such as silverware, soap, or towels.
If you have more questions about herpes, consider discussing your concerns with a healthcare provider.
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When To Talk With A Doctor
Herpes isnt curable, but it can be treated with antiviral medications. These medications can reduce the severity of an outbreak.
If you suspect you have herpes, make an appointment with a doctor. Its also a good idea to talk with your doctor about a herpes screening if:
- your current or previous sexual partner has herpes
- youre planning to have sex with a new partner
- you had a risky sexual encounter
If youve already been diagnosed with herpes and youre currently experiencing an outbreak, the outbreak might go away without causing complications and without treatment.
However, its wise to make an appointment with your doctor if:
- the outbreak is particularly painful or unbearable
- youre experiencing symptoms of other STIs
- youre experiencing frequent, severe outbreaks
If youre sexually active, its a good idea to have regular STI screenings. You can book appointments for STI screenings with your doctors office. You could also try a local clinic, certain pharmacies, or Planned Parenthood.
Can Herpes Virus Infection Be Cured
In 12 years of treating herpes virus infection, I have only had 2 patients cured from it. Both patients are female and both came to me at the beginning of the infection . The HSV antibody test showed negative result after treatment. The treatment time was 8 to 10 months.
I believe that the reason for the low rate of curing herpes infection is due to patients not choosing my treatment protocols at the initial infection phase. Once the immune system is unable to kill the virus, the virus will quickly multiple in the body and herpes infection recurrence will occur.
For recurring herpes infection, the treatment can help patients to reach a goal of no outbreak. But the blood test HSV1 or HSV2 antibody will not support the cure of herpes infection. This means those test results will remain positive even though there is no outbreak for many years.
The IGG number can remain at a very low level at the herpes virus inactive phase. When the outbreak happened, the IGG number will soar up again.
Most patients came to my practice for frequent outbreaks. However, outbreaks cannot be well-controlled by Western medicine. The reason for this is that patients immune system does not function as it should. Among those patients, general well-being is usually poor with inflammation / toxins occurring and accumulating.
I also hope I may help more people who have the initial outbreak to get cured.
Dr. Feng Liang
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How Do You Manage Herpes Long
Management with treatment:
- You may need to consider suppression treatment if you experience many outbreaks in a year
- You can buy antiviral creams for cold sores from a pharmacy, but should see your doctor if the sore lasts more than 5-7 days
- For genital herpes treatment, your doctor may refer you to a sexual health clinic
- Treatment of an acute short-term infection is simple and involves taking a course of antiviral tablets. There are different types of antiviral tablets which can be used. Some courses are higher strength and only need to be taken for 1 to 2 days, and some are taken for 5 days. You may need longer treatment if new symptoms develop during treatment or of your treatment doesnt completely heal your symptoms. You should speak to your doctor if this happens
Managing oral herpes :
- avoid direct physical contact with people
- avoid sharing items that can pass the virus on such as cups, cutlery, make up or lip balm. You can still use communal facilities such as showers, toilets or swimming pools.
- dont participate in oral sex or kissing
- wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after applying antiviral cream or after touching the sore avoid touching the sore unless you need to apply treatment
Managing genital herpes don’t have sex during an outbreak of genital herpes or during the initial signs of an outbreak . The following preventative steps will reduce the risk of passing it to partners:
Telling a partner about herpes:
Emotional impact: