Herpes results from contracting the herpes simplex virus HSV. It causes sores or blisters in or around the mouth or genitals, alongside other symptoms.
There is currently no cure, but treatment can help manage symptoms. When they appear around the mouth, they are called cold sores. This article describes the symptoms of genital and oral herpes, how to treat them, and how to prevent them. Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection STI. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC states that in , there were , new genital herpes infections in the United States, affecting those between ages 14 and 49 years.
Oral herpes is primarily caused by HSV It can cause blisters to appear on the lips or around the month. Blisters can also develop on the face or tongue. Most people who develop oral herpes contract the virus during childhood or young adulthood via nonsexual contact with saliva. A person with an oral herpes outbreak may first feel itching, burning, or tingling around the mouth, lips, or tongue.
Later, cold sores or small blisters may develop in these areas or anywhere on the skin. Learn more about how to visually identify herpes. People who develop herpes symptoms may first experience tingling, itching, or burning before sores or blisters form around the mouth or genitals.
These blisters break open and leak fluid, which forms a crust before healing. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association AAD , the first time sores develop will be around 2 to 20 days after exposure to the virus. They can last 7 to 10 days, although they may last longer during the initial outbreak. Oral herpes causes blisters, sometimes called fever sores or cold sores, to develop in or around the lips and mouth. Sometimes these blisters form elsewhere on the face or tongue and more rarely on other areas of the skin.
