What To Do When Herpes Blisters Burst

When To Go To A Sexual Health Clinic

You should go to a sexual health clinic as soon as possible if you have:

• tingling, burning or itching around your genitals
• pain when you pee after unprotected sexual activity (this can also be a symptom of urine infection – if you need advice, see your GP
• in women, vaginal discharge that’s not usual for you

How Genital Herpes Is Passed On

Genital herpes is very easy to pass on from the first tingling or itching of a new outbreak to when sores have fully healed.

You can get genital herpes:

• when there are no visible sores or blisters
• if a cold sore touches your genitals

You can’t get genital herpes:

• from objects such as towels, cutlery or cups the virus dies very quickly when away from your skin

How Do I Talk To My Sex Partners

Telling them about your condition can be hard. Take some time to learn what you can and understand your own feelings first. You may be more at ease to talk openly.

Some people you tell might not think its such a big deal. Others will have strong feelings about it.

You cant control how anyone else reacts. All you can do is share what you know, answer questions, and give them time to think about it.

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How Can You Prevent Cold Sores

To avoid being infected with HSV-1, you should take the following precautions around people who have cold sores:

• Avoid kissing, intimate contact and oral sex with someone who has a cold sore.
• Dont share towels, razors, dishes, cutlery, straws, lip balm or lipstick.
• Wash your hands before touching your lips, eyes or genitals.

If youve already come into contact with HSV-1, do these to reduce risk of a cold sore outbreak:

• Try to stay healthy: A fever can trigger a cold sore, which is why people sometimes call them fever blisters.
• Get enough rest: Fatigue weakens your immune system and makes you more likely to get sick.

• Wear lip balm with SPF: Protecting your lips from sunburn can help you avoid an outbreak.

  If you have a cold sore, be careful around babies. Always wash your hands, and do not kiss a baby until the cold sore has healed completely.

Oral Antiviral Medication For Early Cold Sores

Antiviral medication is designed to prevent the spread of the virus by stopping it from replicating within your body. This means a cold sore doesnt have the same environment in which to grow as it normally would, shortening its lifespan and making it smaller and less obvious.

Used early, antiviral medications like valacyclovir are scientifically proven to reduce the amount of time required for cold sores to heal. This means you can effectively zap a cold sore in its early stages and cut down the total amount of time required to heal.

Other oral antiviral medications used to treat cold sores include acyclovir and famciclovir, both of which have a similar mechanism of action to valacyclovir. All of these medications are available on prescription, meaning youll need to see your doctor before taking them.

Our guide to valacyclovir goes into more detail about how antiviral medications work to stop cold sores from developing and speed up the healing process, as well as things like common dosage instructions, potential side effects and the amount of time required for valacyclovir to work.

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What Happens During An Outbreak

Genital herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. You catch it by having intimate contact with someone who has the virus.

In between episodes, most people don’t know they have been infected by it. The virus remains in your nervous system and can be reactivated from time to time to give you symptoms. Outbreaks can occur in the genital area if the first infection was in the genitals. They cause crops of small painful blisters in the genital area and back passage . Herpes can also cause recurrent cold sores if the primary infection was around the mouth.

No one knows why outbreaks occur, although sunlight, physical illness, excess alcohol, and stress are all thought to be trigger factors. They often do become less frequent over time.

Recurrent episodes of genital herpes generally don’t last as long as the first outbreak. They are sometimes preceded by itching or tingling in the genital area. Recurrent outbreaks usually last about 7-10 days, shorter than the primary infection which can last up to two weeks. They are also often milder than a primary infection but as R35506 found, the shallow ulcers left when the blisters break can still be quite painful.

Im Pregnant What Do I Need To Know

To get the best care, tell your doctor you have genital herpes, because it could make you more likely to have a miscarriage or give birth too soon.

Its possible to pass along the virus to your baby. For infants, it can be life-threatening. Your doctor can talk to you about how to lower the chances that this will happen.

If you have an outbreak while youre pregnant, your doctor can give you medicine to treat your symptoms and stop them sooner.

Your doctor may give you a drug to prevent an outbreak as your due date gets closer. This is because your baby could get herpes by passing through your birth canal if youre having an outbreak when you go into labor. If thats a possibility, your doctor will most likely want to do a C-section, which is surgery to deliver the baby.

Continued

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Causes Of Blisters On Your Babys Lip

A blister is a raised bump on the skin thatâs filled with fluid. The skin is tender and can hurt if itâs pressed or broken open, which can make your baby grouchy.

Babies can get breastfeeding blisters on the inside of their lips. The sucking action can cause a callus on the skin. Sometimes babies are born with these blisters if they sucked their fingers in the womb.

Cold sores cause blisters on the lips. Cold sores, sometimes called a fever blister, can show up on your babyâs lip and are caused by the Herpes simplex 1 virus. If you have an active sore, you should keep it covered and donât kiss your baby as you can pass the virus to them. A herpes infection can be very dangerous for newborns.

Blisters can sometimes be an allergic reaction. Your baby could be allergic to ingredients in lotions, creams, or lip balm used on or near the lips. If your baby gets blisters after you introduce a food, they might have a food allergy.

Impetigo is an infection caused by Staphylococcus or Streptococcus bacteria that causes blisters on the lip and around the mouth. They can burst and leak fluid, and then a crust forms over top. They can also look like larger, clear blisters full of fluid that don’t burst.

Oral thrush causes white blisters on your babyâs lips. The white patches are also inside the mouth on the tongue, cheeks, and roof of the mouth. They look like cottage cheese or milk and can make it hurt to suck or swallow. This is caused by an overgrowth of yeast.

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Stage : Healthy Healing

As your scab starts to flake off, there may be some residual swelling in the area. The cold sore is completely healed when the scab and flakiness disappear, leaving healthy skin underneath. Cold sores typically dont leave scars.

If you frequently get cold sores, keep a symptom diary to help you spot the triggers avoiding or managing them can help prevent cold sores. Discover more ways to maintain your lip care routine.

How To Prevent Herpes Outbreaks Naturally

Preventing herpes outbreaks without the use of drugs is based on controlling factors that are associated with their occurrence or on strengthening the immune system.

These factors include the following:

• Chronic stress.
• Surgical trauma.

In women, the menstruation period is added to these factors.

Wearing clothes that are too tight for the body or having too much sex can also trigger an outbreak of genital herpes.

Stress management is an important action to avoid herpes outbreaks. Ive dedicated an article to herpes from stress, which I recommend you read.

Diet is an important factor in managing if you want to avoid herpes outbreaks. You should eat foods that are high in lysine and low in arginine.

Lysine and arginine are amino acids involved in metabolism. Studies have concluded that lysine prevents herpes outbreaks, while arginine contributes to them.

The Ultimate Herpes Protocol

Preventing herpes outbreaks with natural treatment.

This book also outlines a protocol for preventing herpes outbreaks and eliminating the virus that causes them.

The Ultimate Herpes Protocol has been used by thousands of people who recommend it for its benefits.

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Facts And Statistics About Herpes

• According to the World Health Organization, an estimated two-thirds of the global population under 50 years old are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 .
• Estimates for HSV-1 prevalence in the U.S. among people aged 049 years are 178 million women and 142 million men .
• In total, about 75 percent or more of the American adult population has the HSV-1 virus that usually causes oral herpes , and about 20 percent to 30 percent have HSV-2 that usually causes genital herpes.
• Men and women are affected by HSV-1 about equally. Roughly 6 million women in the U.S. become infected with HSV-1 each year, along with 5 million men.
• Slightly more women than men are affected by genital herpes, whether from HSV-1 or HSV-2. Middle-aged women are most likely to acquire genital herpes.
• Transmission of HSV most often occurs without symptoms, so its estimated that 85 percent of people with genital herpes dont know it. Many dont have any symptoms at all after the initial infection, and only about 15 percent ever receive a HSV-2 infection diagnosis in their lifetimes.
• Most primary oral/facial HSV infections are caused by HSV-1 however, facial infection by HSV-2 is increasingly becoming common.
• Less children are becoming infected with HSV-1 than in the past in high-income countries, mostly due to better hygiene and living conditions.
• After someone comes into contact with an active herpes outbreak on another person, the incubation period takes about one week.

What Is The Outlook For Patients Who Have Cold Sores

The majority of people who develop cold sores learn to live with and manage their outbreaks. In healthy people, cold sores usually clear up in one to two weeks and have no lasting effects. However, in young babies, immunocompromised people and those with eczema, cold sores can cause life-threatening infections.

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Do Natural Remedies Help

There are several options that can be tried to ease the pain. A73612 and Donnor52059 suggest dabbing cornstarch directly on the sores. I can’t find any scientific studies that have researched this, but I can’t see that it would do any harm.

A73612 also recommends squirting water from a bottle over the sores when you pee. This is a time-honoured method that will help to ease the pain.

Yolandayw mentioned taking a simple painkiller such as paracetamol during an outbreak. Feelbroken advised putting Vaseline on the sores. Lidocaine 5%, a local anaesthetic gel that numbs the area, is another option. Some people find it helpful to put on five minutes before passing urine. You need to get it on prescription and it doesn’t suit everyone. Some people develop sensitivity to it which makes the symptoms worse.

Yolandayw also advised using ice as a home remedy. Simply wrap the ice in a tea towel and apply for 5-10 minutes. Never put ice directly on the skin as this can cause ‘ice burn’. Drinking plenty of water can also be helpful as it reduces the concentration of urine, making it less painful when you have to pee.

D91907 mentioned putting aloe vera gel on the sores. There is some scientific evidence that aloe vera is useful for both genital and oral herpes.

How Do You Get Rid Of A Cold Sore

Although it may take a while to get rid of a cold sore, some medicines can shorten the healing time and make the symptoms less painful. Cold sore treatments include:

• Over-the-counter medications: You can buy without a prescription creams or ointments that you apply directly to the cold sore. If you start using these creams when you first notice tingling or itching before the cold sore forms you may be able to prevent the cold sore from appearing.
• Oral antiviral medicine: Your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication that you take orally .
• Intravenous antiviral medicine: If other medications arent working, your doctor may need to prescribe an antiviral medication that will be administered through an IV. In this case, your doctor will monitor you closely throughout treatment.

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How Do You Know For Sure

If the nature, location, and other characteristics of your sores are not enough for you to draw a confident conclusion, medical testing is the only way to have a definitive answer. This can mean any one of the following tests:

• Laboratory testing : A swab of the fluid sample from the blister is obtained within 48 hours of the appearance of the first symptoms to test for the viral culture.
• Blood Test : Conducted a couple of weeks after the initial symptoms, this searches for any antibodies produced against HSV-1 or HSV-2.
• Polymerase Chain Reaction : The most expensive of all, it looks for HSVs genetic material

Contact Your Physician Or Clinic

Because the only sure way to diagnose genital herpes is with lab tests, youll need to contact your primary care physician, gynecologist, or local health department for testing. There are six ways to test for HSV-2:

• Swab culture of the blister
• Polymerase chain reaction test
• Antigen detection
• Lumbar puncture

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Recurrent Episodes Of Genital Herpes

Recurrences are usually less painful and shorter in duration than the first episode of genital herpes. Over time, episodes usually become less frequent and may eventually stop altogether. Infections caused by HSV1 are less likely to recur in the genital area than infections caused by HSV2.

Recurrences may be triggered by:

• no apparent reason noted.

What Can You Do To Speed Up Outbreaks

What can you do to get rid of a cold sore faster than the expected seven to ten days? Try these techniques and strategies to limit the amount of time you spend feeling uncomfortable and humiliated by your cold sore blisters. If continued outbreaks occur, its always best to consult with your physician.

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Treatment For Genital Herpes

There is no medication to cure your body of the herpes virus. Treatment is aimed at easing symptoms, reducing the frequency of recurrences and reducing transmission.

Symptoms can be improved by:

• ice packs to the affected area
• pain-relieving medication such as paracetamol
• antiviral medication such as acyclovir, famciclovir and valaciclovir. These can reduce the severity of an episode if taken early enough . Topical antivirals usually used for cold sores on the lips or face are not suitable for use on the genitals.

How Long After Herpes Outbreak Is It Still Contagious

For oral herpes, cold sores are usually contagious for up to 15 days and are generally no longer contagious once all symptoms have cleared, which includes the blister itself and any scabbing.

Someone carrying genital herpes should wait until 7 days after the sore heals to begin engaging in sexual activity, as the herpes virus can spread from sores not covered by a condom.

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How Is Herpes Treated

There is no cure for the herpes simplex virus. The blisters usually heal and go by themselves, so you may not always need treatment. If treatment is needed, there are antiviral medicines which can help. These can shorten outbreaks, relieve discomfort and stop symptoms from getting worse.

The antiviral treatment is most effective when you take it within the first five days of symptoms appearing. Avoid touching the blisters as this can spread the infection. If treatment requires you to apply cream to a sore, gently pat the cream on, being careful not to rub around the surrounding area.

You can ease your symptoms by:

• keeping the affected area clean using plain or salt water to prevent blisters or ulcers from becoming infected

• applying petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, to any blisters or ulcers to reduce pain when passing urine

• asking a healthcare provider to recommend painkilling creams

• avoiding tight clothing because it may irritate the blisters and ulcers.

Dont have sex until you or your partner have finished your treatment, and the blisters or ulcers have gone. Recurrent outbreaks are usually milder than the first episode of genital herpes and over time they tend to occur less often.