Cold Sores Symptoms To Look Out For

Probably one of the most embarrassing things that can happen is a blasted cold sore popping up around your lips. Whether a small or large outbreak, you feel you are walking around with a large magnifying glass on your face for everyone to see. Why do cold sores happen? Cold sores are caused by a strain of the herpes virus known as HSV-1 and are becoming less common, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Forty-eight percent of individuals between fourteen and forty-nine have it. However, the percentage of those infected jumps to sixty percent at forty-nine. The good news, at least, is cold sores do not have to ruin your life. To ward them off, you first have to learn the symptoms of cold sores.

Blisters

Cold sores are also referred to as fever blisters, and they most commonly result in small, fluid-filled sores around the lip. However, cold sores can also pop up inside the mouth, around or inside the nose, or elsewhere on the face. They are often sore and painful, and several small blisters may join together creating a larger sore. When the cold sore is visible, the virus is most contagious. Cold sores will last for a few days, after which they start to dry up and scab over. However, it takes two to six weeks for an outbreak to completely heal. When the cold sores are dried up, the virus is much less contagious, but still transferable to others. Even with no present sign of an outbreak, the virus can still be passed along.