Is it true that having cold sores means you’ve got herpes in your mouth?
--asks Anonymous from Horseshoe Beach, Florida.
Julie Leibach • September 18, 2006
![So much for lipstick! [CREDIT: CDC]](https://scienceline.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/cold-sore-crop.JPG)
So much for lipstick! [CREDIT: CDC]
Well, yes, that is true. But it’s not necessarily the same herpes that causes problems in one’s nether regions.
Cold sores, or fever blisters, are fluid-filled blisters that appear on or around the lips and sometimes on the nostrils or chin. They’re different from canker sores, which are ulcers that occur in the soft tissue inside the mouth.
The culprit responsible for cold sores is the herpes simplex virus, which comes in two flavors. Garden variety cold sores are usually caused by type 1, while type 2 is commonly the villain behind genital sores. But either strain can lead to sores on the face or on the genitals. Over 85 percent of adults are infected with herpes simplex type 1, although they may not show any symptoms at first exposure.
The herpes simplex virus that causes herpes labialis (that’s the medical name for cold sores) is a sneaky sucker. It infects by entering through skin or mucous-coated surfaces and sets up house in your nerve cells. It’s a latent virus, meaning once it’s infected you, it remains dormant between outbreaks.
The life of a cold sore involves several stages. Warning signs that one is about to raise its blistery head include itching, tingling, and burning. Then the blister appears, starting small and often growing to a bulbous mass. After a few days, the mass breaks and may ooze—this is called the “weeping” stage—after which it scabs over a few times and eventually flakes off to reveal pinkish, healing skin. Generally, cold sores don’t leave scars. On average, lesions last 7-10 days if left untreated.
The bad news is that once you’ve got the cold sore virus, you’re stuck with it. But there are ways to keep it in hibernation longer, and you can also take steps to reduce the amount of time cold sores taint your kisser.
First of all, herpes labialis is most contagious when cold sores are in their weeping stage, so don’t go around sharing utensils, cups, or kisses with someone who has a cold sore. Second, fever, menstruation, stress, and even sun exposure can cause outbreaks, so leading a healthy lifestyle—which includes getting enough sleep and wearing sunscreen—can help.
There are over-the-counter and prescription topical creams and oral medications available that can help reduce the lifespan of a cold sore. Acyclovir is one prescription oral drug that is sometimes used. It works by interfering with viral replication, which happens before a cold sore appears. But viral replication generally occurs before a person shows symptoms, so it’s difficult to judge when acyclovir should be taken. If a cold sore is already present, it may be too late for acyclovir to help, and you’ll just have to ride it out.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 less commonly causes other problems besides cold sores. While it can lead to sores anywhere on the skin, as well as on the eye, in rare cases it can also cause neurological disorders, including encephalitis and Bell’s palsy, a type of facial paralysis. Given these alternatives, a little cold sore doesn’t seem too bad, does it?
——
Got a question for us? ASK!
Filed To
Share
About the Author
Julie Leibach
BAs in biology/Spanish, from Washington University in St. Louis. Florida-born (ACR, 20+ years!). Love: Hawaii, chocolate, sleep. And also science.
231 Comments
that picture is GROSS. but thank you for teaching me about the secret life of cold sores. i wish i could go dormant sometimes, too. that way i wouldn’t have to do my homework.
p.s. i love that you included the term “nether regions” in this. you rock (monkey).
I get cold sore ALL THE TIME, and when they happen, hibernation seems QUITE appealing.
i’m evidently in the 15% of the population that doesn’t have herpes simplex one. me: one. everyone else: zero.
Wow, beach, you must lead a very sanitary life.
Herpesvirus is also the culprit behind Mono. Wheeeeee.
I have been a oral cold sore sufferer for over 50 years. My wife of 10 years never gets even one.
The tendency to have Cold sores seem to be genetic.
I wonder if it is possible for some people to not get cold sores, but to carry HS1? Perhaps they just never house the right conditions for the virus to kick into its cycle – a situation which might be influenced, but not limited to, a person’s genetics.
wait my friend gets cold sores and she got them before she ever kissed a guy…does that mean she got it from “sharing utensils, cups, or kisses with someone who has a cold sore”? interesting.
herpes has nothing to do with mono.
epstein-barr virus is that nasty beast.
Two viruses can cause mono: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Both viruses are in the herpes family, whose other members include viruses responsible for cold sores and chickenpox.
Chicken pox is also a herpes virus as is shingles – although they are not herpes simplex but herpes zoster I believe
Erin: Yes it’s possible to carry HS1 and not get cold sores – I do! Diagnosed with it in a check up 3 years ago and never had a cold sore – before or after. If I didn’t have a copy of the lab results I wouldn’t believe it. So yeah there’s probably a bunch of people out there that have no idea, and won’t have the painful breakouts.
do you smarties know if “shingles” (not on your roof)on the body are also from the same herpes virus?
fizzle izzle…: You don’t have to kiss someone on the mouth to get cold sores. Your friend could have contracted the virus when someone kissed her on the face when she was a baby.
I get cold sores occasionally and the quickest way that I’ve found to get rid of them is to use regular old “Desitin”. If I put a little glob of it on the night that a cold sore starts to rear it’s ugly red head, it’s usually gone by the morning. Desitin has Zink and cod liver oil in it which are two powerhouse healing agents. The cream dries the sore and heals it at the same time (That’s why it’s so effective on diaper rash and it also works great for heat rash).
i found that abreva is very good but you have to catch it befoure it blisters and wash it and keep doing that till it doesint bother you andy more but its enberising how many people get them how are you saposed to get a girlfriand i mean i dont whatn to give a girl cold sores????any advice???
I suffered for years with cold sores until I started taking Valtrex. Whenever I feelone coming I take 2ea 1 gm Valtrex 12 hours apart, total of 4 pills and I have never had one again in the past 5 years, it works!
what happens if u kiss a person with cold sores? does this mean you automatically get it?
Cheers for the report dude,
I had about 3-4 cold saw’s in the past. The last one I had was different tho.
I woke up after a heavy night drinking and could feel my lips were saw and I had the tinkel of a cold saw comming on.
It turned out on the top of my lip. I had to work for the next few days (I work in a chilled enviroment). My lips were saw from the chilled air and I treated it with cream. It blistered and burst but then got affected. It scapped for longer then unusal and when it finally come of it left a small scar. It’s a small cluster of blisters which are have a different colour to my lips. Its never blister since but the colour differnece has stayed.
Does anyone know if this means I am more likely to pass on the virus? It looks like a small circular scar.
i just recently contracted the cold sore virus because my roomie was stealing my TOOTHBRUSH (life isn’t fair sometimes…she had it and gave it to me). i hate it. i’m 21 years old and in college…it’s so…hindering. when they break out i just want to hide. i’m a very social girl, and pretty damned attractive; but going out to the bars in this east coast city is a NO GO when i have a cold sore.
i get them BAD. once in a while they’re small. but some are HUGE lesions of scabbed skin on my lips :(
my question is this…my friend’s mother advised me that breakouts will be more frequent soon after contracting it, but that they will die down significantly in the months and years to come. any truth to this?
I’ve had cold sore when I was a child, never pay too much attention to them. In my early part of my adult life, I’ve not had them again for about 4 years. But suddenly one day, it showed up again, and I poped it because I though it was acne (after 4 years cold sore free, I hardly remember what a cold sore looks like). Then it spreaded to more area. That year I had a total 9+ outbreak, on average once per month and lasted 2 weeks each time. I found Abreva to be a only OTC oitment that worked. The following year, same thing happened again for a few months, so I took acyclovir, and I went outbreak free for about half a year. Then I cough it again from sharing communion cup, so on my third year of consistent outbreak, I was put on Valtrex for suppressive therapy. Cold Sore is like allergies, you may experience more frequent at certain stage of life, and you may also be free of outbreak for years or decades. My boyfriend had cold sore when he was a kid, but he has not have cold sore for more than 15 years, even when I have mine; which made me jealous.
My girl and I both get cold sores once or twice a year. What I am wondering is if I have an active cold sore can I cause her to have an outbreak by kissing her or since she already has the virus is this okay? Does an outbreak cause an outbreak in the other person?
I had a fever of 104.2 on Monday and on Wednesday woke up with a cold sore. Now I six. YES, SIX. My doctor gave me pills called Famvir. He says to take three at once instead of one for three days. Also, I use a cream called Denavir. I have gotten these godforsaken things since I am 5 or 6. I usually can keep them in check with the cream. This time they are out of control. I guess the virus (from the fever) needs to run its course and this is how it did. Anyone know this to be true?
Wow, YEAHTHEYSUCK. That sounds absolutely brutal. I can imagine how horrible you feel. I use Denavir when I get cold sores, too. That stuff is amazing–they shrivel up within days, almost as if they’re being killed from the inside out. I would imagine that your fever did somehow spur the virus to enter explosive mode. Probably something to do with your antibodies and such trying to fight other infection in your body, leaving the cold sore virus unchecked. Just a theory, though. Stay tough!
I have gotten cold sores ever since I was a child (around 7 or 8, I think), but I used to only get them once every couple of years. Recently though, I discovered Abreva, which really does shorten the life of a cold sore if you use it soon enough. However, since using Abreva the first time, my outbreaks are MUCH more frequent: around 3 or 4 times a year. I don’t know if there is something about Abreva that interrupts the healing cycle, thus leading to more frequent outbreaks or what.
Well i get cold sores alot and i hate them soo much. I just started using abreva but i dont know if i should keep using it even if the blister has opened. I usually use carmex and it seems to work really well.
hi!
I suffer from cold sores too, dang it!!! I thought I was the only one!! Glad I found you guys:).. well, I got my first one when I was 16 and then never got any for about 2 years. Now I am in my senior year of high school and got 2 in the past two months! I don’t know if it is because I am stressed or what!! and mine leave small circular scars..it’s really not cool!!!any advice?:)
hey
ive had cold sores forabout 2 years now. but i just realised that is what ive been having. it comes on the side of my chin and is like a clup of tiny wee blisters that itch real bad. i just had a baby 5 weeks ago and am tired as so guess thats wat bort it on :( it sux and i dont wanna give it to my son. i use zovirax and it seems to work way better than leaving to go away on it owns.
I’ve had the cold sore virus since I was 15 (I’m now 27), and I usually get two or three a year -always when I’m very tired and stressed. There are two non-prescription topical ointments that work for me. One is called Lysine, and you can only find it in some health food stores. I’ve only found it through Wild Oats. The other thing I really like is called Zilactin, and that can be found at most drug stores–I think it costs about $15, but it’s worth it. it creates a thin layer over the cold sore which will protect it from getting too wet -from the shower or from drinking something.
The other thing I do–but I probably shouldn’t recommend this – when I first get a blister, I carefully poke it with a safety pin, then blot the fluid from the blister -swab it with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol (to dry it out and kill the germs), and then I start using the topical meds on a frequent basis.
To avoid scarring, you’ve got to be careful about letting your scabs wash away too soon when washing your face in the sink or shower. Like any other wound, if it doesn’t have enough time to heal underneath the scab, then you get a scar…
Does anyone know where Denavir and Desitin are available for sale? Or is a prescription required?
hi! im a 15 year old boy and i cant stand cant stand!! cold sores for the past 2 mouths my lower lip has felt like i was getting a cold sore and durring the mouth i have been pushing it and it seemed to go away for a week or two but it being the start of summer an all iv gone to the beach and have been getting a lot of sun and now HAVE a cold sore is there anyway i can stop cold sores in all so they never become active???? email me at soccerben1991 thanks so much or just submit a comment on this page thanks
hey Sorey
Desitin is available in a vast majority of stores. Mostly in the baby stuff aisle.
I have never heard of Denavir. I am assuming that it is a prescription.
I’ve gotten cold sores since I was about 8 years old, but about 2 years ago I got a variety that seems to cause slightly different symptoms. The burning and itching are not localized the cold sore on my lip…it feels like all the nerves on the right side of my face are burning and itching. It’s maddening!
Since summer two years ago, it always starts the same: first my eyes feel kinda of sore when I blink…then the tingling and burning and itching in the nerves on the right side of my face…the cold sore appears on my lip. But the burning and itching in my face are tormenting for a couple of weeks. I get a little nauseated,too.
Has anyone else experienced this, too?
what to do when you catch cold sores too late? like, after the “tingling stage.” i’ve been using abreva but i don’t think it really helps anymore, and it would be SO GREAT if i found something that actually worked no matter WHEN i use it.
I have just recently discovered that i have a cold sore…it really sucks and i do not remember ever having it. my mom gets them all the time but started getting them when she was real young. This is my first.at the age of 19 why am i getting it now? is it genetic? why cant i kiss my boyfriend?
Hi guys, I’m glad I found you! I was just recently diagnosed with Herpes-1, and I’m 21! I was in a trial where I had to get tested for ALL STIs and I was all negative then, so I’m pretty pissed that I suddenly developed it now, while in college!
Anyway, my outbreak is, unfortunately, real bad, so I’ve been in hibernation for almost a week now. I’ve even had to hide from my brother and dad because it’s so embarassing-looking! And my poor mom has freaked out, so I feel pretty alone. My doctor(s) have prescribed 10 days-worth of Valtrex to hopefully get rid of the symptoms. However, for the future, do you guys recommend that I keep a stash of Valtrex if I feel an outbreak coming on? Thanks!
Sarah
Ive been having outbreaks for around a year now and i always get them around or on my lower lip.
i find that i do not notice the tingly stage and i just feel a small bump, within 24 hours this has grown into the real deal, a large yellow spot on my lip. i also find other symptoms are that my gum swells in places, and i get irregular small lumps on the inside of my mouth, does anyonebody else experience this?
im a 21 year old male and 3 days ago i got this random sore on the outside of the corner of my mouth. i went to the doc and he said its most likely nothing to worry about. the next day i had about three more bumps on my left cheek and all of the lympfnoids and glands on my neck were swollen and very sore. anyone else get this from simplex 1? i still dont know if this is actually herpes or not but its freaking me out and apparently the blood test i made my doc take often has many false positives so i dont even know how to tell for sure if i have it!
if anyone has any information that would be helpful please leave a comment. thanks
I get cold sores at leaset twice a year since i can remember. I have got it down to a science. Nothing ever works, I have tried everything. Valtrex, Famvir, Abreva… Once you get the itchy feeling there is no stopping it all you can really do is damage controll. I have found that as soon as it bubbles you have to pop it with a sanitary pin. Then its like any other scab but just in the worst spot of all time. I try to dry it out as soon as possible. Desitin works Toothpaste works, rubbing alcohol, peroxide. I take atleast 4 showers a day to clean the sore then dry it out. the sore will get smaller and smaller the faster it scabs over and over. Stress, Sun burns, a cut from shaving, braces, any thing can bring them on. I even had a doctor tell me that penut butter and ceral can bring them out. The number one thing that brings them on is stress and a close number 2 is the sun. So always put suncreen on and around your lips and try to lead a stress free life. I wouldnt wish cold sores on my worst enemy and would pay anymount of money to never again have an outbreak.
hey there
I was wondering what they actually look like. Most places have said that they are red backgrounds with white blisters in the center. I have a cut (or possibly a cold sore) on my lip and it doesn’t really look like any of the pictures I have seen but I am really paranoid (and I am a hypochondriac) and I was just wondering if anyone else had any other variations on this. The whole side of my lip has been on fire for about three days and there is a cut, maybe because I am rubbing the area. I don’t know. Let me know. Help!
I have had this cold sore stuff since I was 17, I dont know how I got it. It sucks, my first outbreak I had like 20 cold sores all over my lips and inside of mouth. From then I have like 5-6 breakouts a year. I have tried everything not to get them and it always happens at the wrong time. I use denavir cream which is a prescription. I have tried popping them sometimes it works and other times it worst, my lip gets inflamed and i end up with a puffy lip.
Any recommendations on how to reduce it? Stress i know is a main cause, but who doesnt have stress.
I kissed a girl with a cold sore out break, does this mean i’m going to get cold sores?
Ok I just found out that I carry th cold sore virus in my blood. I have never had a cold sore, but my father and grandmother have them..So i guess its in my DNA. My question is when I get bug bites they tend to stay scab up and leave scars does this have anything to do with the cold sore virus being in my blood? I am also prone to infitigo..sp? Any clues anyone?
Yup… it sucks. I either get canker sores, cold sores, or styes. I hate them all! Right now I’m stuck with a fat ass cold sore on my bottom lip. I wish there was a way to kill off this virus for good.
I’ve never gotten a cold sore nor do I have any type of herpes. But my boyfriend thinks he might have when he was in hs (his mom, a nurse practitioner who therefore knows about medicine, even got him Abreva, cold sore meds) and is pissed that I’m making him get a herpes test. Yes cold sores are more socially acceptable than genital herpes but they’re both types of contagious herpes and one should know if they have them or not.
I have had cold sores since I was born. I have figured out that when I used Abreva it would take almost two weeks for the cold sore to go away and i seemed to get them more often so i tried L-Lysine Pills and Lysine cream. It is awsome. What I am most scared about is that I am going to give my girlfriend them even though I do not have an outreak. Can anyone tell me what might be the possibility that she could get it even though i did not have an outbreak. Thanks.
Wow I Have an cold sore right now and its very anonyin knowing that every time I lick my lips I have this big,wierd,not good feeling thing on my lips…
I was getting a cold sore, but it was so small and on my face, not my mouth so I thought it was just acne. I went out and kissed a guy I really like- we had sex – and I went “down” on him too. Today I work up with a full blown cold sore. I am really freaking out. I would never want to give any body cold sores ever!!! I feel so bad and do not know what to do. I feel so guilty and horrible. I am a good, nice person and not a slut. I’ve know him for years and really like him. What should I do!!!!!!!!
To anyone needing help to get rid of cold sores. Your body produces them when the immune system is compromised and you are run down. Cold sores have to have an open cut or sore in order to enter your body even something as simple as chapped lips will give it an opportunity to thrive. But you dont need expensive meds to combat this virus. You wont get cold sores at all if you take the vitamin supplement Lysine on a daily basis. You get them due to a lack of lysine in your diet or system. Just like the dinosaurs on Jurrassic Park being unable to produce it we also need the supplement to stay healthy if we have contracted the cold sore virus. So do what I do and take lysine it works great and if you take it daily you wont get an outbreak. If you feel the tingling sensation coming on double up on it and take 1000 mg or more at once and you can usually stop it in its tracks (if you dont care to take it daily). Good luck. Lysine can be found at most drugstores or supermarkets for around $5 a bottle!
Hey, im thirteen and i get cold saws except i dont get it on the lip or on the chin or on the nose i get it around my eye and my eye goes all red and then it gradually closes and the cold saw covers my eye so i dont get much sleep at night and all nightt i just cry so i dont get to go to school for like a week! i get quite emmbarressed when i go to the shops and people look at me and think that ive been in a punch up! And even the teachers ask if im ok they get suspicious about my perants but they are the best! it just makes me feel so sick the doctor said exactly 10 years ago that it will go away but it just gets worse every year! well i just feel wierd wen i have it! :( thanks 4 listening!
My partner gets coldsores and my ex got coldsores….but I’ve never had one.
I’m a carrier only, so I could snog a whole load of people and not get one :)
I do get ulcers in my mouth but only if I’m really run down – and that’s a sign I have a cold coming on.
Well…here I am researching “Cold Sores” and I stumble across you lot.
I just got over a 3 day flu…which involved fever out breaks…and a runny nose, which then led to chapped nostrils from the constant whipping ( No cold sores during the flu)
I’m now all fine from the flue, But then I woke up this morning & felt amazing that I’m now better, and low an behold I had a fat lip every pinching / tingling sensation I am feeling is spreading its way across my lip, its horrible, I HATE IT!
I am currently sitting at my computer with a massive collection of cold sores on my top lip,
I now have cold sores all up my nostril and now on the tip of my bloody nose…I can feel them throbbing.
I look like a freak!
I live in Australia…some of these names you all have mentioned for helping doesn’t seem familiar here, is there any names for creams or meds I can take here.
And also…I clean my cold sores roughly every 3-4 hrs a day and night with “Detol” is that a good idea for a cleaning solution? I feel water and soap just aint enough.
Please some one respond, I’m desperate to get rid of these suckers.