Cold Sore Stages: Know What They Are

There are many cold sore stages. It doesn’t matter if you have the virus or not; you should be concerned about it. The oral herpes simplex virus infection can be highly contagious for most of these stages. One the virus is transmitted, it doesn’t get removed from the system and can lie dormant for years, waiting for its activation.

Stages of a Fever Blister

Dormant

One of the earliest stages of the virus is the dormant phase. As mentioned, the virus can invade your body, but it can be asleep for a long time. In fact, others have it without their knowledge simply because they have a very strong defense system. Nevertheless, once their immune system goes down, the virus can then develop symptoms, and you’d know you already have fever blisters (another name for cold sores).

There are actually two types of herpes viruses. The one causing the fever blisters is the oral herpes virus, which lounges on the membranes of your jawbone or cheekbone. That’s why when it attacks, the parts hit are the lips, mouth, and throat. If you’re careless, you can spread it to your cheeks.

Tingling

Next is referred to as the prodrome or the tingling phase. As its name suggests, you will sense a tingling or itching sensation on the part of your face. This is because the virus has replicated itself and is ready to invade the surface of the skin. The affected area will also become very dry. Be careful as this is one of the cold sore stages where contagion is highly probable.

Breakout

It will take hours to days before the first visible signs of the herpes simplex 1 symptoms will appear. Know, though, that not everyone with herpes simplex infection show manifestations. However, their population is pretty small.

Usually, the dry area will become very inflamed. That would tell you that the virus has already reached the surface. Majority of them will develop into vesicles. These are the pimple-like bumps you see on your skin, particularly in the areas around the mouth and lips. They are very sensitive to the touch.

If they get into full-blown sores, these grouped vesicles will start to erupt, causing herpes simplex blisters. Depending on the severity of the cold sores, these blisters may emit fluids, which should never be touched by anyone, even by you. These liquids carry the most active of the viruses. If you touch them, they can transfer to other places in the body such as your cheeks. You may also experience soreness and inflammation of the glands in the jaw.

Healing

The breakout phase will be around for days or even weeks, depending on how you’re going to respond to the treatments provided to you by your physician. However, it’s been surmised that cold sores can last for an average of two weeks.

You will know you’re in the process of healing if these open sores start to turn yellowish and become dry. They will turn into scabs or develop crust, which can be itchy or irritating. Make sure you don’t touch them to allow yourself to heal faster and not begin the cycle again.
Of all the cold sore stages, this is the one you’re anticipating. Nevertheless, you should still be careful as there are others who can get infected even at this stage.