Kissed anyone lately? Be warned - kissing is not as safe as it used to be. If you suddenly feel itchiness or a mild burning sensation on your lips, become a little feverish or find a mild blister just above the edge of your upper lip after kissing, you may have contacted a cold sore.
What are cold sores and are they communicable?
Cold sores are a strain of herpes simplex virus (HSV) that does look like a blister. It can hit anyone, male or female. It is considered a sexually transmitted disease. But that is not always the case.
Cold sores are highly contagious and can spread easily just by making direct contact with the skin of someone who has them. You can also get cold sores by drinking from the glass of a person who has one, or even just touching the glass and then touching your mouth. You can also get them from using the same knife, fork, or spoon as an infected person, or sharing towels, washcloths, or napkins. The cold core virus can survive on almost anything (including fabric), so it is best to stay away from the personal belongings of someone who has the disease.
Forever there
Once you have contracted cold sores, you literally have them for life. The virus may lie dormant beneath your skin, but it can easily be reactivated.
The biggest trigger in women is stress. Whenever a person is stressed out, the dormant herpes virus becomes active, creating an outbreak. A woman's menstrual cycle can also spark cold sores, as the rise in hormones in the female body seems to trigger cold sores to reappear. You should also avoid staying for long hours under the sun because excessive sunlight can cause a cold sore outbreak.
What are cold sores and are they communicable?
Cold sores are a strain of herpes simplex virus (HSV) that does look like a blister. It can hit anyone, male or female. It is considered a sexually transmitted disease. But that is not always the case.
Cold sores are highly contagious and can spread easily just by making direct contact with the skin of someone who has them. You can also get cold sores by drinking from the glass of a person who has one, or even just touching the glass and then touching your mouth. You can also get them from using the same knife, fork, or spoon as an infected person, or sharing towels, washcloths, or napkins. The cold core virus can survive on almost anything (including fabric), so it is best to stay away from the personal belongings of someone who has the disease.
Forever there
Once you have contracted cold sores, you literally have them for life. The virus may lie dormant beneath your skin, but it can easily be reactivated.
The biggest trigger in women is stress. Whenever a person is stressed out, the dormant herpes virus becomes active, creating an outbreak. A woman's menstrual cycle can also spark cold sores, as the rise in hormones in the female body seems to trigger cold sores to reappear. You should also avoid staying for long hours under the sun because excessive sunlight can cause a cold sore outbreak.
