Why do you get fever blisters, cold sores, whatever you call them on your lips?!
Question: Is it because you are getting sick? Too much stress? Or what? I've heard many different things and just wanted to know. Also how do you get rid of them?
Answers: Is it because you are getting sick? Too much stress? Or what? I've heard many different things and just wanted to know. Also how do you get rid of them?
I was told 'It is from drinking out of wet glasses!' Took me a while to figure that one out as well.
Herpes labialis (fever blisters, cold sores) can be caused by either HSV-1 or HSV-2. While the primary (first episode) infections with HSV-1 or HSV-2 do occur, recurrences are generally the result of HSV-1 infection. Oral recurrences with HSV-2 are very rare.
Who gets this infection?
The first episode of HSV-1 infection generally occurs in children and young adults and is usually asymptomatic. HSV-1 infections are one of the most common infections throughout the world.
How many people have this infection?
HSV-1 infections are acquired by almost all people in all nations and countries. In underdeveloped countries seroconversion to HSV-1 occurs in up to 33% of children by 5 years of age and prevalence rises to 70 - 80% by adolescence. By contrast in developed countries, middle and upper-class individuals acquire infection later in life. Seroprevalence of HSV-1 can be as low as 20% in children younger than 5 years of age and in adolescents. The acquisition rises between 20 and 40 years to a prevalence of 40 - 60%.
In the United States, approximately 130 million individuals over the age of 12 are infected with HSV-1. Evidence suggests that seroprevalence of HSV-1 may be declining in children and adolescents probably due to less crowding and better hygiene. This shift in HSV-1 seroprevalence has the paradoxical effect of increasing the risk of newborn HSV-1 infection. Some women who have not previously acquired HSV-1 do so in pregnancy. Genital herpes due to HSV-1 can be transmitted during oral sex if the partner is actively shedding HSV-1 from the mouth.
Several things may precipitate a recurrence and are specific to the individual person. Exposure to UV light, febrile illnesses, stress, premenstrual tension, and surgical procedures such as dental or neural surgery, lip tattooing, or dermabrasion are a few of the more common triggers.
Avoidance of these triggers can reduce your risk of recurrence. For example, if your lesions are subject to reactivation due to exposure to UV light, the use of sunscreens with SPF of 15 or greater may be helpful when you are going to the beach. However, sun screens are not as helpful when skiing. This is probably because in addition to UV light exposure, there is a great deal of wind and cold that are increasing skin trauma. In this case you may want to take prophylactic oral acyclovir while skiing.
Herpes labialis is spread through the direct contact of skin or mucus membranes with lesions or oral secretions of an infected person. Risk of transmission often increases in day care settings due to large numbers of children who are in close proximity. Most of the transmission in these settings is believed to be asymptomatic. Transmission in households is believed to be from kissing, though it is good to avoid sharing cups, eating utensils, wash cloths, etc. when one has a visible sore.
The infection is transmitted when there is virus present. The highest chance of virus being present is when there are visible lesions. The amount of virus present is highest within the first eight hours of lesion development and diminishes as the lesions mature. Other things that might increase the amount of virus that is present are colds,oral surgery, and facial cosmetic surgery.
As with genital herpes, people can shed virus without any noticeable signs or symptoms of disease. Occasional, asymptomatic shedding may occur in 2 - 9% of individuals with herpes labialis. To avoid transmission of HSV-1 infections people with active lesions (fever blisters or cold sores) should avoid kissing others and having oral/genital sex.
Abreva? (GlaxoSmith Kline) is the only over-the-counter (OTC) product that has had demonstrated efficacy in a controlled clinical trial and has been approval fromthe FDA.
Good Luck
yea and kissing and dry lips..use blistex..and dont lick your lips
Most of the time it is contagious, but you can also get it from touching your mouth a lot.
When I had braces and rubberbands, I would have to touch the sides of my mouth so I got them all the time.