Topical treatments. Herpes was originally considered to be a skin condition, so it was treated with antiviral creams. It turns out that herpes is also a nerve condition, since the virus "hides" in nerve tissue between outbreaks, and oral herpes treatment in pill form to be taken by mouth is much more effective.

• Acyclovir, sold under the trade name Zovirax, relieves pain of cold sores and fever blisters, although it does not stop transmission of the virus.
• Pencyclovir, sold under the trade name Denavir, relieves the pain of cold sores and fever blisters, is believed to reduce transmission of the virus, and helps sores and blisters heal faster. Neither acyclovir nor pencyclovir is effective for genital herpes.
• Docosanol, sold under the trade name Abreva, keeps the herpes virus from getting inside uninfected cells. It won't stop blisters completely, but it usually accelerates healing by about three days.

Topical pain relievers. Lidocaine, sold as the Lidoderm patch, partially relieves pain of blisters for a few hours. Allergies to lidocaine are possible, and if you get an allergy, the pain will temporarily be worse.

Over the counter blister treatments. Blistex and Camph-Phenique relieve pain but don't help heal blisters. Other over the counter treatments, especially if they contain alcohol, may actually make blisters work.

Herbal products. Lemon balm creams ease pain and sometimes accelerate healing by as much as four days. Aloe keeps scabs from breaking open. Propolis is antiviral and also helps prevent secondary infections with bacteria that get inside the skin when the scab comes off. All of these products can be used with prescribed herpes medications.

Home remedies. The old saying goes, "Ice is nice." Holding ice to the lip at the first sign of tingling or numbness may slow down or stop the multiplication of the virus, and sometimes prevents blistering.

Oral anti-herpes medications. Only oral medications, however, have the potential of stopping fever blisters and cold sores before they even start-as long as you take them at the very first sign of symptoms. Oral acyclovir (also sold under the trade name Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and famciclovir (Famvir) stop the virus from multiplying. Because the bloodstream carries them to the nerves where the virus hides, they are much more effective than their counterparts formulated as skin creams. These drugs don't become active, however, until they are broken down by enzymes in the liver, and if you have liver disease, other methods of treatment may work better for you.

1. How does genital herpes start?

Genital herpes, like oral herpes, retreats to nerve fibers to "hide" from the immune system between outbreaks. When the host body-such as your body-is under some kind of stress that might endanger the virus, it quickly multiplies and spreads along that nerve to the skin, or mucous membranes of the sex organ, so it can survive by infecting someone else. You can feel the effects of the moving of the virus through:

• Tingling
• Numbness
• Itching, or
• Burning

even before there are any blisters.

2. Where is the pain of genital herpes felt?

Genital herpes is not strictly limited to the genitalia. The blistering caused by genital herpes can occur just about anywhere that would be covered by boxer shorts. There can be blisters almost to the navel, on the buttocks, on the anus (even without anal intercourse), on the buttocks, or on the thighs. Because of interconnections of the nerve fibers that host the virus, genital herpes can cause lower back pain or muscle pain in the buttocks, usually more severely just before the blisters form. You can have blisters without the generalized nerve pain, or generalized nerve pain without blisters.

3. How long do the blisters last?

The kind of virus that is causing the genital herpes makes a huge difference in how much the blisters hurt and how long the blisters last. If you get a genital infection with the "oral" form of the herpes simplex virus, HSV-1, then your blisters will probably heal in a few days. If you get a genital infection with the genital form of the herpes simplex virus, HSV-2, after you get HSV-1, then you probably will also heal in a few days. But if you get HSV-2 without any modifying factors, blisters may last 2 to 3 weeks and come back as soon as a month later.

4. When is genital herpes contagious?

Blisters contain the highest concentrations of the virus. It is possible to pass the virus before and after blisters form, and in "asymptomatic" outbreaks when the virus is being shed from the linings of the sex organs but there are not other symptoms. Technically, you can (and some people do) get herpes by having unprotected sex when your infected partner is not having any symptoms. However, you are 10 to 1000 times more likely to get or give an infection when you have contact with a blister than at any other time.

5. If I've been infected once, can I ever get infected again?

If you get a genital infection with HSV-2, you can get a second genital infection with HSV-1, and vice versa. The second infection is likely to be much less severe.

6. If my partner and I both have the same kind of herpes in the same locations, is it OK to have unprotected sex?

It's still not a good idea to have unprotected sex when one of you has recently had blisters (and having sex while blisters are active is too painful). And it's not a good idea to have unprotected sex unless you know that you have the same kind of herpes because you had a lab test for the specific herpes virus. This isn't a blood test. It's a tissue sample. But if you both have the same kind of herpes and neither of you is blistering, then sex won't cause a new infection.

Is there ever an end-stage of herpes? Is it ever fatal?

If you get HIV and develop AIDS, herpes can in fact be fatal. Having herpes makes it more likely that you will get HIV if you are ever exposed to it. But for most people who have healthy immune systems, herpes is a serious annoyance, not a crippling disease.

Reactions to the infection, however, are highly variable. Some people catch the disease as children when they are sharing cups or bottles or toothbrushes, and have a single severe outbreak, never to have a problem again for the rest of their lives. Some people catch the disease as children, and start having regular outbreaks once or twice or even half a dozen times a year after puberty. And others catch this disease and never have any symptoms at all, although they are capable of infecting others.

The many variables in the severity of this disease make knowing which precautions are necessary and which precautions are not a daunting task. Knowledgeable couples who are honest with each other, however, can keep each other safe. Here are seven things every couple needs to know about oral herpes transmission.

1. Oral herpes is communicated by skin to skin contact or by shared saliva.

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The most common way to get oral herpes is kissing someone who has a cold sore. It's possible to get the virus while the infected person is "shedding" the virus but the blister has not yet formed, and some people simply never get cold sores or fever blisters at all even though they can infect others with the virus. But you can't catch it from a sneeze, or from any shared drinking glass or shared eating utensil for more than a few seconds after the infected person has used it.

2. The stages of oral herpes vary from person to person.

Oral herpes does not always cause outbreaks. Some people never have outbreaks. Some people have outbreaks up to six times a year. And the virus can lie dormant for years or decades until something triggers the formation of cold sores or fever blisters.

3. Outbreaks of oral herpes usually occur after a "trigger."

The herpesvirus hibernates until its home is threatened. Then it multiplies quickly and uses the nerve it lives in as an escape route to get out of the host body so it can infect someone else. The immune system attempts to kill the virus by destroying the skin it reaches on the way out, with a blister.

Dental work that "touches a nerve" often leads to an outbreak. If you have herpes, make sure your dentist knows, so you can get prescription for a medication to stop blisters.

Other common triggers for cold sores and fever blisters of oral herpes include blows to the face and other kinds of infections. But the single most frequent trigger for oral herpes is sunburn-and wearing a hat or using sunblock can stop it.

4. It's possible to get a genital infection with oral herpes.

The virus that most commonly causes oral herpes, herpes simplex virus 1, also known as HSV-1, prefers to infect the mouth and lips. If someone with a cold sore performs oral sex, however, it can cause a genital infection. This kind of herpes is a lot less severe than the kind of herpes that usually causes genital infections, HSV-2, and once you have been infected with HSV-1, you have some-but not total-immune resistance to HSV-2.

5. If you have had multiple partners, it's not easy to determine which one gave you the virus.

Couples often break up over the issue of "giving me herpes," but sometimes the party who gets the blame is not really guilty. Here's an example.

Tom and Tina started living together, and about a year later Tina, who had never had a cold sore or fever blisters in her life, developed a serious oral herpes infection. She blamed Tom, who, during the stress of breaking up, developed fever blisters of his own. But what neither Tom nor Tina will ever know is whether one or both of them had the infection before they ever met, and they had just never had any symptoms. Oral herpes does not always cause symptoms.

6. 6. If you have ever been infected with oral herpes (HSV-1), you may not have any symptoms when you are infected with genital herpes (HSV-2).

HSV-2, the "genital" form of herpes, can produce devastating symptoms-unless your body has already trained your immune system to fight HSV-1. If you have had oral herpes, you are more likely to catch genital herpes and pass it on without even knowing you have the disease.

7. The longer you have had oral herpes, the less often you will have outbreaks.

If you were infected with oral herpes when you were a small child, and you only started having outbreaks as a young adult, the good news, the older you get, the less often you will get cold sores or fever blisters.

Oral herpes does not have ruin your sex life. Most couples who deal with oral herpes are able to have a full and fulfilling sex life-with special care taken to avoid contact during outbreaks.

The first infection with a herpesvirus usually causes the worst symptoms. Children sharing sippy cups or straws, picking up someone else's toothbrush, or eating food someone else has bitten into get the virus. Five days to a week later, the child suffers the first signs of oral herpes, a sudden onset of fever, blisters of the mouth and lips, and flu-like symptoms.

After these initial symptoms pass, about two weeks later, the virus "hides" in the nerves of the face. It can stay in these nerves for a lifetime, of it can be activated when there is a signal of some kind of threat to its existence. If someone who has herpes is struck in the face, or gets a sunburn of the face of lips, or develops some other kind of infection, then the virus multiplies and spreads down the nerve to the nearest exit point, so it can be passed on to another host.

The virus itself does not cause blisters. The immune system causes blisters to destroy the virus. The virus is safe from the immune system while it is inside nerves.

Women who know the signs of an impending outbreak can take steps to reduce pain, itching, inflammation, and blistering. The three most important things to know about the symptoms of oral herpes outbreaks are:

1. An itch or tingle in the mouth or lip at the same site where there has been a blister previously is the best early warning signal of a coming cold sore or fever blister.

Herpes outbreaks tend to occur at the very same spot over and over again. If you know where you have had a blister or blisters before, then you can become aware of tingles, heat, itching, or other first signs of oral herpes that tell you a new outbreak is on its way. Then it is possible to take an appropriate medication or to use home remedies to minimize the pain.

An "oral" herpes infection of the genitals usually does not cause a widespread breakout.

2. The "oral" herpesvirus, HSV-1, can infect either the mouth or the genital organs, but symptoms are much less severe when the virus is not in the expected location.

HSV-1 causes much worse blistering of the mouth than it does of the vulva, vagina, and cervix. HSV-2 causes much worse blistering of the vulva, vagina, and cervix than it does of the mouth. If you have herpes in one place, you are highly unlikely to give yourself herpes in the other. There has to be skin to skin contact to transmit the virus (in almost all cases). But you can have either or both viruses in either or both locations.

When HSV-1 infects a woman's genital organs, there might be just a single blister. The most common location of this blister is at the opening of the urethra, from which a woman urinates. Generalized blistering of the sex organs, anus, buttocks, pelvis, and thighs can happen with HSV-1 infection when a woman has a severely weakened immune system, but this is a relatively rare event. Genital herpes diagnosis at the doctor's office can confirm whether the problem is HSV-1, which will place far fewer if any restrictions on sex life, or HSV-2, which is harder to manage.

3. The genital herpesvirus, HSV-2, can also infect the mouth and lips.

Signs a woman has a "genital" herpesvirus in the mouth, lips, or oral cavity are much less frequent outbreaks, maybe once or twice a year if any at all, and much less painful outbreaks. There is a quick test for that can tell whether a blister in the vagina is HSV-2, but determining whether a woman has this kind of herpes in the oral cavity requires taking a sample of the blister for lab tests that take 3 hours to 3 days.

Women can pass on HSV-2 to their partners' genital areas when they give unprotected oral sex. Finding out what kind of virus is causing oral inflammation can tell couples whether they need careful precautions or no precautions at all.

Everything about the oral herpesvirus isn't bad. It gives your immune system "practice" that makes it less likely for you to get the genital herpesvirus, HSV-2. It usually only causes lip blisters, and you can avoid even these if you stop them in time. The three things men need to know about oral herpes symptoms in men are:

1. You'll get a tingling, burning, or itch at the site where herpes is going to break out anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days before you get a blister.

Herpes literally "busts out" of the nerves in which it hibernates when something threatens its survival, such as blow to the face, dental work, or the activation of the immune system caused by sunburn. The virus travels along nerves to the nearest exit, and that's where your immune system will try to destroy it with a blister.

If you stop the multiplication of the virus during the "tingly" stage, you may be able to stop the blister. You can do this with a prescription antiviral cream or pill, or, if you are in a pinch, by holding a piece of ice to the tingly area as long as you can stand it, but at least for 15 minutes. That's ice made with water, not dry ice, which would do more damage than the virus itself.

2. "Oral" herpes (HSV-1) can infect your genitals after you receive oral sex from an infected partner.

How do you recognized "oral" herpes symptoms below the belt? You're likely to get a blister that looks like a cold sore on your penis, but you are not as likely to have blisters "all over." Many men only have one outbreak after genital infection, but because this strain of the virus really doesn't like to hang out in the spinal nerves, the symptoms are likely to be like those of mild oral herpes.

3. Love may come and go, but herpes is forever.

If you want to know the answer to the question "How long does oral herpes last?" the unfortunate answer is "the rest of your life." However, you will have fewer and fewer outbreaks the more years you have had the disease, and as long as your immune system is not under severe stress, such as can be caused by HIV infection or chemotherapy, you can use cold sore treatment to keep both oral and genital symptoms under control.

Years or even decades later, something sends a signal to that virus that its home in your nervous system is under attack and it needs to escape. That could be a blow to the face, another viral infection, treatment with a steroid asthma inhaler or with chemotherapy, or, most often of all, a burn from sunburn or drinking something that's too hot. Exposure to storm-force wind and extreme cold will also activate the virus.

The herpesvirus multiplies very quickly and travels to your mouth and lips to be transmitted to another host. When your immune system recognizes the infection, it will cause a blister to kill the tissue where the virus lives, something it cannot do with nerves.

What does oral herpes look like? The skin of your lips or the lining of your mouth will redden and then from an oozing blister. But if you stop the infection before your immune system starts the blister, then you may have no disagreeable symptoms at all.

That's why is it important to recognize oral herpes inside the mouth. Here are three things you need to know about the symptoms that occur before you get blisters that tell you to get treatments that can stop the attack.

1. Anywhere from two hours to two days before the blister forms, you will probably feel tingling, burning, or itching as the early stages of oral herpes.

This is the time you need to be taking an antiviral medication to stop the virus from multiplying so your immune system will not have to attack your lips or the lining of your mouth to kill it. Your doctor or dentist can prescribe the treatment for you.

2. If you have recurrent outbreaks, and you get a blister in the same place every time, it's probably oral herpes. If it "moves around," it's probably something else.

The herpesvirus has to travel along a nerve to escape the body, so it will come out at the same place every time. Other kinds of mouth sores causes erupt in different places.

3. If you get a blister, don't pick at it, and don't let it dry out.

Don't pick at blisters, even after they have formed scabs and don't hurt any more. Tearing the skin forms an entryway for other kinds of infections. If you want to loosen a scab without tearing the skin of your lip, soak a cotton ball in fresh milk. Hold the cotton ball against the scab to loosen it. The lactic acids in milk are also used in exfoliant creams for other kinds of skin care.

Drying out the skin lets germs in, too. Cover a blister with petroleum jelly, and don't use any makeup you don' have to, taking special care to avoid products that contain alcohol or fragrances, which can dry out the skin. If you have to cover up the blister for a meeting, be sure to remove makeup as soon as possible, with warm water and mild cleanser, to prevent drying of the skin and further irritation of the sore.

But everyone can do something about mouth blisters, if you just have the right information. Here are the ten most important things to know about treating, stopping, and maybe getting rid of these pesky blisters for good.

1. A blister on the mouth that comes back in the same place every time is probably due to herpes of the mouth.

The herpes virus "hangs out" in the trigerminal nerve in the face until it is reactivated by the immune system. Sun exposure activates the immune system in the skin, and the activity sends out a "threat" to the virus. It responds by multiplying itself and traveling to the outside of the body where it can be picked up by someone else. But if you just don't get too much sun on your lip, you may not get the blister.

2. Blisters that occur in different places on your lips and mouths than the last outbreak probably are not due to herpes of the mouth.

If you get a blister here, there, or somewhere else, not in any predictable pattern, chances are you do not have herpes. That's good news. Other mouth sores causes are usually curable.

3. Canker sores are whitish or greyish and usually stay that color.

These mouth blisters are due to usually caused by your body's reaction to some component of food, such as the gluten in wheat. They hurt, but they do not break open to spill out a virus, because there is no virus in side them. Canker sores aren't catching. You can relieve the pain with products like Ambesol and by avoiding any food with stinging acids, such as orange juice, or sharp edges, like toast and crackers.

4. Itching and blistering on the lip after eating a trigger food may be due to hives.

Hives are a usually a reaction to a sensitizing food or aspirin (which is chemically similar to the BHA and BHT used to preserve baked goods). It's possible to have hives just on the lip or in the mouth, and a kind of hives known as angioedema swells the sinuses and throat and can even be life-threatening. If you get blisters on lips that do not burn but do itch or ache, and they appear in different places at different times, consider hives. And if you ever have trouble breathing, get emergency medical attention.

5. Yeast infections are also among the most important mouth sores causes.

If you get a whitish, painful blister in the mouth, that's probably a canker sore. If you get a whitish, itchy blister in the mouth that seems to grow and spread but does not cause pain, that is likely to be a yeast infection. You can make your own antifungal mouthwash with goldenseal or Oregon grape root. Be sure to follow label directions. If you have HIV or if you have received chemotherapy, however, you should see your doctor for treatment. Thrush, a yeast infection of the throat, can cause serious problems.

6. If you get a blister on your lip after you receive a punch in the face, it's probably a "cold sore."

Cold sores are not caused by colds. They are an outward sign of chronic herpes infection, which can be activated by physical injury.

7. Dental work can activate cold sores.

If you know you have cold sores, ask your dentist for a prescription for a medication like Valtrex (valacyclovir), to take at the very first hint of tingling or itching in your mouth or on your lip and then again 12 hours later. This can stop the herpesvirus from setting up camp in a blister on your lip.

8. Ice can deactivate cold sores.

Another way to stop the development of a blistering cold sore before it starts is to apply ice to your lips as long as you can stand it, preferably 15 minutes or more, allowing the ice to melt and lubricate your lips while it cools the skin. (Never use dry ice. It will kill tissue and cause an even worse cold sore when it heals.)

9. Garlic may speed up your body's reaction to the cold sores virus.

And it will also make you less kissable, reducing the risk of your spreading the virus to others. If you want to avoid garlic breath, consider taking an enteric coated garlic supplement.

10. Consider an old European remedy for cold sores and blisters of all kinds, red wine.

Scientists attribute the ability of red wine and red grape juice to stop mouth blisters on their content of resveratrol. But if either wine or juice makes you feel better, then the calming effect may be what really keeps cold sores in their place, off your face.

The immune system chases the virus into the nerves serving the lower back, where it hibernates until it is reactivated, usually about a month later, and six times or so the first year after infection, less often each succeeding year. Some men have symptoms just as bad as their first attack every time the virus reawakens. Some men just have some of the symptoms they had with their first attack. And some men never have any symptoms at all.

The US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that about 23 million men in the United States alone have been infected with genital herpes. Only about 5 million men ever get treatment. The other 18 million have symptoms they don't know are caused by the disease. These men can develop extreme forms of herpes if they ever chemotherapy, and they are at increased risk for catching HIV. And they can infect their partners without ever knowing they are infectious.

What are some tip-offs that you have genital herpes? Here are three of the signs and symptoms of genital herpes most doctors won't tell about.

1. You get lower back pain even if you haven't strained your back. Sure, there are lots of causes of lower back pain. But lower back pain that radiates out to your buttocks and down to your thighs, especially if you feel a tingling of your penis, is a possible sign that you have the virus and it's reactivated. A simple blood test can tell whether the problem is herpes (although it can't tell you which kind).
2. You don't get the full-blown symptoms of genital herpes but you develop something like a cold sore on your penis. This can literally be a cold sore on your penis, caused by HSV-1, usually contracted after receiving oral sex from someone with an active infection of this milder form of the herpesvirus. A strong indication that you have this kind of viral infection is the appearance of blistering on the penis, without any other symptoms, and just on the penis, after outdoor activities in the nude.
3. From time to time you feel like you are coming down with the flu, but you don't. If flu-like symptoms occur with or before feelings of genital tingling, lower back pain, or jock itch, you may need to get tested for herpes to get appropriate treatment.

What should you do if you have these symptoms? Go to your doctor! But in the meantime:

1. Wear a condom, even if your partner is on the Pill.
2. Avoid spermicides, which can cause tiny abrasions in the penis and vagina that make it easier to transmit the virus (and that can increase your own chances of picking up a second infection with a different microorganism), and
3. While you are waiting to see your doctor, try echinacea and garlic as herbal remedies. Both herbs contain compounds that kill herpesviruses. They won't cure you, but they may slow down the multiplication of the virus. Garlic pills can be used to avoid garlic breath.

And another guy-cure for sores breaking out? Grab a can of beer. Hold the can against your penis as long as you can stand it, preferably for at least 15 minutes. (Use good judgment about consuming the beer in the can later. The herpes virus can adhere to the pull tab.) The cold may stop the multiplication of the virus long enough for other remedies to do their work.

Don't let the signs and symptoms of genital herpes freak you out. Genital herpes doesn't have to ruin your life. Getting it diagnosed and treated and kept under control can allow you to have an honest and healthy sex life while keeping your partner safe.

The most common cause of recurrent lip blisters is the milder form of the herpes virus, herpes simplex virus 1, also known as HSV-1. Most of us are exposed to the virus in early childhood, from the saliva of other infected children.

A few days after very first time a child is exposed to HSV-1, he or she may develop a high fever, crankiness, aches and pains parents can't understand, and blisters on the lips and inside the mouth. The child's immune system attacks the virus by destroying tissue with blistering and fever.

HSV-1 retreats into the trigeminal nerve underlying the cheeks, where it can't be attacked. It may stay there for years until it is awakened by a blow to the face, or hormonal changes, or the immune system's overactivity in response to a different infection. Then it can cause blisters over and over again, once or twice up to six times a year, always in the same place.

There are lots of potential triggers that activate the virus. The most important is overexposure to sunlight, but other triggers include:

• Exposure to extreme cold
• Biting your lip
• Burning your lip on a hot drink
• Getting punched in the mouth
• A viral infection with a different virus elsewhere in the body
• Wind
• Allergies and
• Getting run down with general fatigue after hard work, hard exercise, or stress.

If you get a tingly sensation in your lips that is always followed by a blister, then you probably have HSV-1. But not every blister on a lip is herpes.

Here are some other possibilities:

• You can get "genital herpes," HSV-2, in the mouth, although this is less common than getting HSV-2 below the waist. A blood test can tell whether you have either "oral" HSV-1 or "genital" herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), and a sample of a live blister can tested to see which kind of herpes you have.
• If you have fever, tingling, itching, and muscle aches and pains before you break out, but then you break out with a blister than doesn't hurt, you could have a condition known as erythema multiforme. This condition can be caused by either HSV-1 or HSV-2, but it can also be a sign you have been exposed to one of the hepatitis viruses, the Epstein-Barr virus, measles, mumps, cat scratch fever, Salmonella, tuberculosis, or even polio. But if the blisters never itch or burn and never come back, that's a good sign your body has fought off the infection. Your doctor can tell you for sure.
• If you have a whitish outbreak that itches and stings but doesn't turn red, then you could have a yeast infection of the mouth and throat.
• Blistering can also be a reaction to a new medication, especially an antibiotic.

Blisters that keep coming back in the same place over and over again, however, are usually of herpes origin. The same treatments that work for cold sores will work for them.

Source:

Mell HK. Management of oral and genital herpes in the emergency department. Emerg Med Clin North Am. May 2008;26(2):457-73.

What your doctor probably won't tell you about what oral herpes feels like. You won't just wake up one morning with a nasty blister. Probably a day or two before you will experience early-warning signs of oral herpes. You might feel a tingle in your cheekbones, or on the tip of your nose, and then in your lips. Those are early-warning signs you are about to get a blister.

There are two things you can do. One is to trot down to the doctor's office to ask for a prescription for an antiviral drug like Valtrex. Taking a pill often stops the blister.

The other is to trot down to the natural products store and get some lemon balm. This herb won't stop the outbreak and it won't keep you from being infectious, but it will help the blister heal about twice as fast.

What your doctor probably won't tell you about your question "What does oral herpes looks like?" Every blister isn't herpes. Canker sores, for example, start gray or yellow but don't turn red. They are not caused by an infection, and you can't give them to someone else.

A yeast infection in your mouth will usually travel to your throat, although oral herpes usually will not. It's also more likely to look like a mold, which it is. And hand, foot, and mouth disease, which sometimes breaks out in epidemics affecting children, has red blisters surrounded by a white halo. The treatments for these diseases won't work for herpes, and the treatments for herpes won't work for these diseases.

What your doctor probably won't tell you about how to get rid of oral herpes. It's true that you have herpes infections forever, because they can hibernate in nerves that your immune system will not attack. However, you don't have to have cold sores forever.

Antiviral medications and lemon balm help cold sores heal faster. Ice and aspirin remove pain. Vaseline petroleum jelly keeps blisters from drying out and becoming even more painful, and swabbing a scab with a cotton ball soaked in milk will help lift the scab without tearing the new skin underneath.

And remember, the only question is not how do you get oral herpes from someone else. It is also a matter of how someone gets oral herpes from you.

If you have oral herpes, don't share it. From the moment you feel a tingle in your face or lips until about four days after the scabs come off, you can infect others with the virus. During this time, no kissing, no shared glasses, don't lend anybody your toothbrush. And make a habit of using sunscreen so blisters won't come back when you least want to deal with them.