| Cold Sores |
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If you have a watery, painful blister on your skin, mouth, lips or genitals, it may be time to pay your doctor a visit. It may be just a minor infection, but it could also be a dreaded cold sore, more popularly known by the term herpes simplex virus or HSV. HSV is very contagious, especially when it has just been contracted and the first symptoms are only beginning to make themselves known. The most distressing thing about this horrible health disorder is that there is no cure. If you get cold sores, you will be carrying them around the rest of your life like luggage. Cold sores come by many names, including Night Fever and Fever Blister. They are sometimes mistaken for canker sores (Apthous ulcers) because they have the same appearance and show themselves frequently on the inside of the mouth. The difference is that canker sores are not caused by the herpes simplex. If your doctor told you that you have canker sores instead of cold sores, you should thank your lucky stars. There are many other symptoms of HSV aside from cold sores. These include skin irritations, clusters of blisters in different parts of your body and lesions that leave no scars when they heal. The cold sore lesions often appear around the genital area in men and also around the buttocks or anus, inner thigh or on the shaft of the penis. In women, the lesions can usually be found on or near the pubis, vulva, labia, clitoris, anus or buttocks. Sometimes, they are not obvious to the eye and at other times, you can’t miss them when they’re there. Cold sores look different from individual to individual. Often, they appear to be blisters, especially in the genital area, but they also sometimes appear to be a yeast infection or a bad case of chafing. Aside form the signs that you see around your body, cold sores are also characterized by a general ache all over your body and a bit of pain in the genital area, discomfort or pain during urination and discharges from the penis or vagina. There may also be flu-like symptoms that last for a week. Outbreaks usually come four or five times a year. |