Cold sores are caused by the Herpes simplex virus type one (HSV-1). When the virus enters your body it travels to the top end of your nerves and lies dormant, without causing symptoms.
However, with a suitable trigger such as stress, fever, menstruation, fatigue, alcohol, smoking, medication that suppresses the immune system, even sunshine the virus can quickly move back to your nerve endings and begin to replicate itself.
This is how cold sores start and their development is often preceded by a tingling or itching sensation that immediately sets alarm bells ringing for sufferers, who will recognise it as the onset of another outbreak. This is often accompanied by redness and swelling of the affected area, followed by the formation of a fluid-filled blister, which then breaks open, oozes and crusts over before eventually healing a week or so later.
The primary infection can progress in different ways. Some people only have very mild symptoms or none at all. The first outbreak starts one to three weeks after the virus has been contracted. It subsides spontaneously within a few weeks. Later, if HSV is reactivated, the blisters will return.
The first symptom of an outbreak is an unpleasant tingling feeling in the skin. After a short while, a number of fluid-filled blisters appear.
The sores become covered by scabs that, typically, fall off after 8 to 10 days. The virus can spread until the sores are completely covered by scabs.
Around 20 per cent of the people with HSV antibodies have recurrent attacks of cold sores throughout their lives.
In children, the virus can infect the mouth and throat. The infection may be accompanied by a fever and general aches and pains.
Helpful Tips To Be Follow:
To prevent catching cold sores, however, you should follow the same precautions you would to avoid catching any viral infection.
*When around someone with cold sores, be sure to wash your hands and to avoid touching your face.
*You should also avoid sharing utensils, towels, and cups with a person with cold sores. It is best to avoid these practices at all times, because a person with the cold sores virus may be contagious even if he or she is not currently be experiencing an obvious outbreak.
*If you are in a relationship with a person with cold sores, avoid kissing him or her during an outbreak. Wait until the cold sores have completely healed before getting romantic. Otherwise, you risk the possibility of catching the virus and simply passing it back and forth between each other.
Some people will have few or no reactivations while others have recurrent outbreaks. Recurrences seem to become less frequent with age. The development of the disease differs from person to person.
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