Although the virus doesn’t pass through the air, it has been shown to survive on hard surfaces. ![]() You can become infected with the virus through kissing, touching your fingers to your mouth or eyes (if your fingers have become infected with the virus from someone else, for example), and by sharing infected items. Yes, cold sores are extremely contagious. vRemember that someone may be infected without showing symptoms. You can also contract the virus by sharing infected items such as eating utensils or by sharing cosmetics. You can transmit and become infected by the HSV-1 virus by touching others, especially through kissing, as the virus is passed on through saliva and direct contact with the lips. But canker sores only occur inside the moist areas of the mouth – on your gums, inner lips and tongue – while cold sores only appear on the outer edge of the lip or on the lip itself. Many people think they have a cold sore on their tongue or inside their mouth because canker sores can look a little like a cold sore blister on your lip. Most people get cold sores on their lips, but it is possible to get cold sores on your nose, your eyes and your genitals too. Once you’re completely healed, the area affected will return to normal.` Once the crusts have dried out and fallen off, recovery is nearly complete. This may break open and weep clear liquid, which then forms hard crusts. It may then develop into a small, inflamed red patch, where a blister-like top can form. What Does a Cold Sore Look Like?Ī cold sore can start as a tingling, itching or burning sensation on your lip area. Some people, however, may carry the virus without ever showing symptoms – in other words, they never have a cold sore – and so may pass the virus on to others unknowingly. Cold sore triggers include colds, flu and fever – hence the other common name for cold sores, fever blisters – as well as stress, fatigue, sunshine and wind. At this point, the virus becomes more active and this is when you’ll suffer with cold sore outbreaks. Once you have the virus, you may show no symptoms until the virus is ‘triggered’. ii Although most people aren’t exactly sure when they first encountered the virus, it’s usually contracted in early childhood, even if it did not manifest as a visible cold sore. Once you are infected, the virus never leaves your body. HSV-1 is highly contagious, with 67 percent of the world population under the age of 50 infected. Also called fever blisters, a cold sore is simply a symptom of the virus hijacking healthy cells. ![]() ![]() When people describe themselves as having a cold sore, they’re usually referring to the blisters caused by the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1).
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