If you have notable red blisters on or around your lips, then you probably have cold sores that s usually caused by the Herpes simplex virus type 1 or HSV-1. These blisters are often painful and agonizing. First seen as tiny watery lumps in its early stage, these lumps then turn into red painful blisters. Other than appearing on the lips of an infected person, cold sores are also seen on other parts of the face like on or inside the nose and inside the mouth. Basically, cold sores can be seen appearing on various body parts and even in the genital area. But in genital herpes, the HSV-2 or Herpes simplex virus type 2 is the main cause of the disease.
Presently, there have already been a lot of individuals across the globe who are infected with the virus. The number is more likely to go up than fall down because HSV-1 gets to stay inside the body of the person without any cure at all. An infected person may not always show the signs and symptoms of the disease making it very simple and easy to spread the virus. If ever you already have one, it is more likely that you have acquired the virus during your childhood years. This may also be the case of most infected individuals as a child is most vulnerable from close contacts and getting kissed by an infected individual.
As the virus easily spreads its infection, HSV-1 then enters your system into the ganglion which is a group of nerve cells. It is in such nerve cells that the virus stays permanently and waits for its awakening. There are also times that the virus just sleeps permanently inside the body of the person who has contracted the disease. This explains why there are some people who are infected with the virus who don’t necessarily have cold sores.
How the virus wakes up or what triggers its reactivations remains unclear up to this moment. But then, it is most likely that the virus reactivates upon various factors. And some of these factors are tooth extractions, stress, sunlight, cold weather, hormonal changes, certain foods and drugs and other forms of infection. In general, the cause of cold sores is unpredictable and the person doesn’t necessarily have to have colds to contract cold sore.
The virus that causes cold sores is easily spread. Once you get infected, infecting other people seems so easy and effortless. All it takes is skin to skin contact or when a person gets in contact with oral secretions like through kissing. In general, infection is to spread more likely as even infected persons don’t know that they have already the virus. Other means of transmitting the virus to other persons include sharing cups and eating utensils, and lip balms and lip sticks.
Cold sores can also be the cause of genital herpes especially among couples by means of oral sex. The cold sore blister on an infected person can also get worse when he or she touches the blisters and then touches other parts of the body especially on parts where there is a cut on it.
Everyone is pretty vulnerable of contracting HSV-1 that causes cold sores. This is highly possible through various ways. Once infected, the best thing to do is not to allow yourself from touching, pinching, and squeezing the blisters. When it comes to the time that touching the infected area is unavoidable, refrain from touching other parts of the body.
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