Sunday, September 29, 2024

How To Get Rid Of Herpes Outbreak

Apply Hot And Cold Treatment

An All Natural OTC Topical Product for Genital Herpes Outbreak Symptoms

The application of warm and cool temperature on the painful blisters can help provide relief. The gentle heat stimulates blood circulation in the area, reducing inflammation and promoting healing.

Meanwhile, topical cold helps numb the underlying nerve endings to make you feel less pain, but this only lasts a short while. It also helps bring down swelling.

How to use:

  • Take warm showers or soak your body in a warm bath like a sitz bath.
  • Apply a cold compress over the affected skin for 10 minutes, every few hours. The simplest way to make your own cold compress is by wrapping a few ice cubes in a soft, clean tea towel.

Note: Dont bathe in hot water as that can be too harsh and drying for your skin. Similarly, dont apply ice directly to your skin as it can cause further damage and even lead to frostbite.

Is There A Way To Prevent Getting Herpes

You can protect yourself and your partner by taking steps to prevent an outbreak of herpes. Some things that you can do include:

-If you already have herpes, dont have sex until the outbreak is completely gone, even with a condom.

-Try to learn the signs of an impending outbreak, such as itching, tingling and burning, and stop having sex as soon as you notice.

-If you wear contact lenses, dont wet your lenses with your saliva. This could spread your herpes infection to your eyes.

-Dont have sex with your partner until your herpes sores are completely healed.

-Always tell your partner if you are infected with the herpes virus before you have sex. Even though it can be embarrassing and difficult, herpes is very common, and telling your partner will help keep the infection from spreading.

Herpes Outbreaks Look Like Blisters

Painful clusters of pus-filled blisters on the lips or genitals are classic signs of herpes. But some people develop a stronger immunity to the virus, which leads to mild outbreaks that don’t resemble sores. HSV-1 might look like an ingrown facial hair, a cut on the lip, or a small pimple. Similarly, HSV-2 outbreaks are commonly mistaken for ingrown hairs and irritated skin.

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Why You Should Go To A Sexual Health Clinic

You can see a GP, but they’ll probably refer you to a sexual health clinic if they think you might have genital herpes.

Sexual health clinics treat problems with the genitals and urine system.

Many sexual health clinics offer a walk-in service, where you do not need an appointment.

They’ll often get test results quicker than GP practices and you do not have to pay a prescription fee for treatment.

How Is Genital Herpes Treated

How to Stop Herpes Outbreak

There is no cure for genital herpes, but treatment can help. Self-care can relieve symptoms and help sores heal. Medicine can shorten an outbreak and also relieve symptoms.

Self-care for genital herpes

Dermatologists recommend the following self-care tips for their patients who have an outbreak:

  • Keep sores clean and dry.

  • Wear loose-fitting cotton underwear.

  • If an area feels painful, place a cold compress on it.

  • To cleanse and sooth painful sores, reduce itchiness, or decrease tenderness, take an Epsom salts bath. You want to soak for 10 to 20 minutes.

Medicine for genital herpes

To treat genital herpes, your dermatologist may prescribe one of these antiviral medicines:

Taking medicine is recommended for anyone who has a weakened immune system. With a weakened immune system, your body will likely need help to get rid of sores and symptoms. Without medicine, sores may not clear and symptoms can linger. You should continue taking the medicine until all sores have completely healed.

Medicine works best when started within 24 hours of getting a herpes sore.

If one of the medicines listed above fails to bring relief, you may need another medicine. For a severe infection, getting acyclovir through an IV may be necessary. Other antiviral medicines may also be an option.

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What Should I Do If I Have Genital Herpes

If you have genital herpes:

  • See a doctor or nurse as soon as possible for testing and treatment.
  • Take all of the medicine. Even if symptoms go away, you need to finish all of the antiviral medicine.
  • Tell your sex partner so they can be tested and treated if necessary.
  • Avoid any sexual contact while you are being treated for genital herpes or while you have an outbreak.
  • Remember that genital herpes is a lifelong disease. Even though you may not have a genital herpes outbreak for long periods of time, you can still pass the virus to another person at any time. Talk with your doctor or nurse about how to prevent passing the virus to another person.

What Happens At A Sexual Health Clinic

The doctor or nurse at the sexual health clinic will:

  • ask about your symptoms and your sexual partners
  • use a small cotton bud to take some fluid from 1 of your blisters or sores for testing

The test cannot:

  • be done if you do not have visible blisters or sores
  • tell you how long you have had herpes or who you got it from

Symptoms might not appear for weeks or even years after you’re infected with the herpes virus.

Read Also: Does Taking Medication For Herpes Prevent Spreading

How Do You Get Herpes

The virus can be passed on by:

  • having any skin-to-skin contact with the infected area

  • vaginal, or oral sex without a condom or dental dam

  • transferring the infection on fingers from someone else to your genitals

  • sharing sex toys that aren’t washed or covered with a new condom each time they are used.

The virus is most infectious when you have blisters, but it can be passed on when someone has no symptoms. This is normally immediately before or after an outbreak.

If you have genital herpes while pregnant you can pass the virus on to your unborn baby. Itâs important to speak to your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

For more details on herpes in pregnancy read our âin detailâ tab.

How Can Herpes Be Prevented

How Contagious is Herpes?

As herpes is a virus, once you are infected the pathogens remain in your body for your lifetime. Cold sores and blisters are likely to recur if you have already been infected. Since herpes is spread through direct, physical contact, one of the best ways to prevent becoming infected with the virus is to avoid sharing any items that go into your mouth or touch your lips, such as cups, utensils, lip balm, toothbrushes, cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

If you are already infected, there are some changes that you can make in your everyday life to help prevent further outbreaks, or reduce the frequency of outbreaks.

Read on:

Read Also: How Do You Get Rid Of Oral Herpes

One Herpes Package Is All Mr Al Needed To Overcome Hsv

** Please note : We do not reveal the full name of the patient, we just keep the first two letters of the name for comparison purpose, and we hide all the rest details. Photos are for clarification purpose only and are not the real photos of the patients.

Dear specialists from Hekma Center, This month I did the PCR blood test for Hsv 1& 2 and it came Not detected

This is part of Mr. Als message to the specialized team at Hekma Center. Revealing that he overcame herpes virus entirely.Read his story from the start.

When Treatments For Genital Herpes Are Given

  • Initial treatment. If you have symptoms such as sores when you’re first diagnosed with genital herpes, your doctor will usually give you a brief course of antiviral therapy to relieve them or prevent them from getting worse. Your doctor may keep you on the drugs longer if the sores don’t heal in that time.

After the first treatment, work with your doctor to come up with the best way to take antiviral therapies. There are two options:

  • Intermittent treatment. Your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug for you to keep on hand in case you have another flare-up this is called intermittent therapy. You can take the pills for two to five days as soon as you notice sores or when you feel an outbreak coming on. Sores will heal and disappear on their own, but taking the drugs can make the symptoms less severe and make them go away faster.
  • Suppressive treatment. If you have outbreaks often, you may want to consider taking an antiviral drug every day. Doctors call this suppressive therapy. For someone who has more than six outbreaks a year, suppressive therapy can reduce the number of outbreaks by 70% to 80%. Many people who take the antiviral drugs daily have no outbreaks at all.

There is no set number of outbreaks per year that doctors use to decide when someone should start suppressive therapy. Rather, more important factors are how often the outbreaks happen and if they are severe enough to interfere with your life.

Continued

Also Check: How To Protect Myself From Herpes

How To Rid Herpes Outbreak Quickly

Kittygirl1404

I’m about 4 days into my outbreak and I am in TERRIBLE pain. I feel as if I get more and more blisters and they are so painful. Baths aren’t as soothing anymore and peeing is horrifying. I’m also have trouble cleaning down there due to the painful blisters. Please any advice would be a blessing

2 likes, 59 replies

  • Posted 5 years ago

    I find that coconut helps a lot as it contains lauric acid which, in the body, turns into monolaurin.

  • Posted 5 years ago

    Monolaurin is an antiviral, antibacterial substance. It can be consumed or applied to the area to treat the herpes. Personally, I have only ever applied it to the area and find that it helps massively!

  • Posted 5 years ago

    Antiseptic gels are the best. It refreshs the genital area and y gonna feel so much more comfortable.. Don’t use any tight underwear.. At least I can’t even support any type of lingerie while having outbreaks its just horrible. Fill the bath with warm water and let the body be in contact with the water before u try to pee, it helps so much! Also, having the right nutrition helps.. Drink lots of water, do what relaxs you!

  • Posted 5 years ago

    I would say keep bathing in salt baths.. plenty of salt!! Keep the area dry and wee in the bath or shower as often as you can to ease the pain. I know your pain girl!! Also if it’s that painful and feels ‘too dry’ once you’ve done all that.. some Vaseline can help a little too.

  • Posted 5 years ago

  • How To Treat Genital Herpes

    How Herpes Is Treated

    There is no cure for genital herpes. It lays dormant in the body for long periods, then reappears as an outbreak of sores.

    However, doctors can prescribe medications that reduce the likelihood of recurring outbreaks. These medicines may also lower the risk of transmitting the virus.

    When a person has a genital herpes outbreak, they may be able to promote healing and lower the risk of transmitting the virus by:

    • avoiding sexual contact with another person until the sores have healed
    • keeping the sores clean and dry
    • refraining from touching the sores whenever possible
    • washing the hands immediately after touching the sores
    • using barrier protection during sexual contact until told otherwise by a doctor

    The first herpes outbreak is usually the worst subsequent outbreaks tend to become less bothersome.

    Genital herpes does not typically cause serious health complications. However, it can make a person more vulnerable to contracting HIV.

    If a person has genital herpes sores, viruses and bacteria, including HIV, have more opportunity to enter the body. Avoid scratching the sores, as this can lead to bacterial infection.

    Also, having HIV can make genital herpes outbreaks more severe.

    Also Check: What Medication Is Used For Genital Herpes

    What Does Genital Herpes Look Like

    While some people with genital herpes will never have any symptoms, other people can develop symptoms within a few weeks of being infected.

    Often, before the lesions appear, patients describe a prodrome, characterized by a tingling or burning sensation in the area where the lesions will develop that can be noticed during urination, along with itching or discomfort in the genital area.

    You can also have the following symptoms:

    • Blisters on the mouth or lips
    • Fever, headache or pain in the joints
    • Trouble urinating

    The symptoms of genital herpes often go away and come back as recurring outbreaks. For most people, the first outbreak is the worst, and can last from two to three weeks. Future flare-ups are often less severe and do not last as long. Still, some people shed the virus regularly. The following triggers can make outbreaks more likely to occur:

    Recurrent genital herpes is most common in the first year after the initial infection and decreases as time goes on.

    In many cases, anti-herpes medicine can help patients. When a person experiences a prodrome and suspects a recurrence is going to happen, they begin taking anti-herpes medications that lessen symptoms and shorten the time of the outbreak.

    How Is Genital Herpes Diagnosed

    If you have a herpes sore, your dermatologist can often diagnose you by looking at the sore and taking a swab from the sore. A lab test can tell whether the sore contains the herpes simplex virus , which is what causes genital herpes.

    If you dont have a sore or any symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control doesnt recommend testing for most people. You can learn whether you should be tested if you dont have symptoms at:

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    Types Of Antiviral Drugs

    There are three oral antivirals recommended for the treatment of oral or genital herpes:

    Famvir, 250 mg Twice daily

    Preventing genital herpes recurrence is important as it reduces the risk of HIV. According to the CDC, having an active genital herpes infection increases the risk of HIV by 200% to 300%.

    Stay On Top Of Your Outbreaks

    Herpes (oral & genital) – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology

    Its ideal to use the Luminance RED once you feel the tingle and know a sore is coming. Preventative light therapy may offer benefits as well. We suggest 2-3 treatments per week to the area where frequent outbreaks occur.

    Started using this device during the middle of an outbreak I had while taking Acyclovir. Since using this treatment, Ive been able to get off meds.

    Recommended Reading: Should I Take Antivirals Daily For Herpes

    What Are Cold Sores Chickenpox Shingles And Genital Herpes

    Cold sores are caused by a herpes virus that may be spread by kissing or other physical contact with the infected area of the skin. They are small, painful ulcers that you get in or around your mouth. It is not known if valacyclovir tablets can stop the spread of cold sores to others.

    Chickenpox is caused by a herpes virus called Varicella Zoster Virus . It causes an itchy rash of multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites usually appearing first on the abdomen or back and face. It can spread to almost everywhere else on the body and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms.

    Shingles is caused by the same herpes virus that causes chickenpox. It causes small, painful blisters to appear on your skin. Shingles occurs in people who have already had chickenpox. Shingles can be spread to people who have not had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine by contact with the infected areas of the skin. It is not known if valacyclovir tablets can stop the spread of shingles to others.

    Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease. It causes small, painful blisters on your genital area. You can spread genital herpes to others, even when you have no symptoms. If you are sexually active, you can still pass herpes to your partner, even if you are taking valacyclovir tablets. Valacyclovir tablets, taken every day as prescribed and used with the following safer sex practices, can lower the chances of passing genital herpes to your partner.

    How Can I Prevent Genital Herpes

    If you are sexually active, you can do the following things to lower your chances of getting genital herpes:

    • Being in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who does not have herpes.
    • Using condoms the right way every time you have sex.

    Be aware that not all herpes sores occur in areas that a condom can cover. Also, the skin can release the virus from areas that do not have a visible herpes sore. For these reasons, condoms may not fully protect you from getting herpes.

    If your sex partner has/have genital herpes, you can lower your risk of getting it if:

    • Your partner takes an anti-herpes medicine every day. This is something your partner should discuss with his or her healthcare provider.

    Read Also: How Do You Get Rid Of Lip Herpes

    Differences Between Treating Hsv

    From honey to aloe vera, there are countless home remedies for herpes. Most people find that medication works better for preventing debilitating herpes outbreaks.

    HSV-1 is typically managed with over-the-counter topical treatments. Their numbing agents relieve itchiness and burning, but they don’t stop outbreaks. Valtrex and Acyclovir are popular oral medications for HSV-2, but they only shorten the length of herpes outbreaks by a few days. They also come with side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and headaches.

    Can I Breastfeed If I Have Genital Herpes

    How to Stop Herpes Outbreak

    Yes, you can breastfeed if you have genital herpes, but not if you have a herpes sore on one of your breasts. If you have genital herpes, it is possible to spread the infection to any part of your breast, including your nipple and areola.

    If you have any genital herpes sores on one or both of your breasts:

    • You can keep breastfeeding as long as your baby or pumping equipment does not touch a herpes sore.
    • Do not breastfeed from the breast with sores. Herpes is spread through contact with sores and can be dangerous to a newborn baby.
    • Pump or hand-express your milk from the breast with sores until the sores heal. Pumping will help keep up your milk supply and prevent your breast from getting overly full and painful. You can store your milk to give to your baby in a bottle for another feeding. But if parts of your pump also touch the sore while pumping, throw the milk away.

    Read Also: Topical Numbing Cream For Herpes

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