Causes

Herpes Labialis is a virus that lies dormant on the nerves of the human body, just under the skin. Once a person has been exposed and has become a carrier there is no way to kill the virus. Though some people never have any of the symptoms of the virus and never break out in cold sores, others get them frequently. Some of the things that can cause an outbreak include stress, menstruation and sun exposure. Cold sores often appear when a person’s immune system, which would generally suppress the virus, is compromised. This is one of the reasons that the cold sores often appear on the heels of an illness. Though many people think that it is the illness that causes the cold sores, it is actually the body’s weakness in the face of an illness that allows the virus to awaken and reappear.

Prevention

There are a number of ways to fend off future outbreaks of oral herpes once you know that you have the virus. The triggers for the disease are very well known, and if you are a sufferer who has had outbreaks before, you probably are very familiar with your own personal triggers. It’s easy to say that you should avoid stress, but not necessarily easily done. But if you do things like make sure that you apply lip balm to protect your lips from exposure to the wind and the sun and make sure that you are eating healthy and nutritious food, you will go a long way to protect yourself. Many believe that minerals like zinc, plenty of Vitamin C, and herbs like garlic will help prevent an outbreak.

Treatment

Once a herpes labialis outbreak occurs and fever blisters or cold sores start to appear, the patient’s goal is twofold – to make it go away as fast as possible, and to make it stop itching and hurting. There are several over the counter remedies and old wives’ tales that people swear by, including using tea bags pressed against the sores and taking a number of different herbal remedies. Despite the popularity of this type of cure, the most effective treatment has been shown to be an antiviral medication called acyclovir, which stops the virus from replicating once it has been awakened. By preventing the spread of the virus, acyclovir holds it where it is and prevents it from getting worse. It also helps to speed the resolution of the existing cold sores. Acyclovir is available in an ointment form, as pills, and even can be administered through an intravenous system for those whose cases are extremely severe. It can also be taken preventively to keep people from having recurring cases.

Herpes labialis is another term for the common herpes simplex virus one condition that is also known as oral herpes. Oral herpes is one of the most commonly experienced diseases in the world, with over half of Americans of all ages testing positive for the disease. Oral herpes is caused by a virus that is extremely contagious – it can be spread by something as simple as kissing or sharing a drinking glass. Once it is present in the human body it never goes away – there is no cure, although the disease can lay dormant forever. Many people who test positive for the herpes simplex virus one have never had an outbreak or suffered from the most common symptom of the disease, a cold sore, and had no idea that they were carrying the disease.

Symptoms

Herpes Labialis is characterized by small, painful, unsightly blisters that form around the nose, mouth and lips. They can strike very young children or adults of all ages. Although many people who are carrying the herpes virus never have symptoms, those who do suffer outbreaks generally report that they can tell when it is about to start because they feel a tingling or itchy sensation on their lips and around the mouth. Shortly after that sensation a small blister will generally form. The blister is filled with a clear, yellowish liquid. The outbreak usually lasts for
about two to three weeks, during which time the blisters will tend to spread across the area forming a small cluster. These clusters often group into one large lesion, that will eventually develop a gold yellow crust. The appearance of these blisters, which are known as cold sores or blisters, is an indication that the person who has them is contagious, and extra care should be taken to keep them away from others. Herpes labialis is so contagious that it can be even be spread after the blisters are gone, which is one of the reasons that so many people have ended up having the disease.