Getting a herpes cold sore can be embarrassing, but is not at all uncommon. Sometime referred to as a fever blister, these sores generally appear on your lips or even on the inside of your mouth.

Unfortunately, even if your first round of herpes goes away, there is always a chance that it will come back. Sad as it is, there is no cure for herpes yet. Scientists are working on it, but have not found a cure yet.

You can get herpes cold sores from kissing, sharing drinks, or sexual contact. Always remember to be extra careful with friends and family members while you’re having an outbreak. That means, no sharing towels or linens, cosmetics, or anything else like that.

You cannot get “double-infected” with the virus. So, once you have it, you just have it once and it stays in your system forever. You CAN get infected with both herpes type 1 (cold sores) and herpes type 2, which is genital herpes.

Don’t think that you can freely have a sexual relationship with someone who has genital herpes. Just because you have herpes cold sores doesn’t give you a free pass!

There are several things that can triggers a cold sore outbreak. If you are sick or have a worn down body, the virus is more likely to act up. Any time the body is not in top shape is a surefire sign that you may get a cold sore.

Sun exposure, menstruation in women, and irritation to the area are other factors. You can avoid these things as much as possible, but it would be futile to spend your life avoiding them. Inevitably, your cold sore will come back if the virus “wants” it to.

Also be very careful not to touch a cold sore and not wash your hands directly after. Cold sores can appear on your fingers.

When this happens, it is called Herpes Whitlow. Taking special care of your hygiene can go a long way towards preventing the spread of herpes.

Be very careful not to get mixed up between herpes cold sores and canker sores. Herpes does not cause a canker sore.

These are usually ulcers inside of your mouth and can occur because of trauma to the mouth. Canker sores are not contagious, while colds sores are highly contagious.

Having a herpes cold sore can be a very annoying thing. The best thing you can do is to understand the causes of it, and how to prevent its spread to other people. Don’t confuse herpes cold sores with other problems in and around the mouth, and you’ll be well on your way to dealing with this virus!