Define Cold Sores and Its Causes - What Doctors Say

You may need to define cold sores and its cause to understand cold sores deeply. Actually, cold sores are the common illness that is caused by the type 1 of herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). You may hear about the type 2 of herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) that cause genital warts. Both of the viruses have no cure and have similar treatment. Below, we will concentrate on HSV-1 and will define cold sores and its causes according to the medical community.

In medical terminology, cold sores are “tiny sore(s) occurred in the mouth or around face that comes along with itching, pain or burning before explode and crust over. These commonly occur on the cheek or chin, in the nostrils, and on the lips. Frequently, cold sores occur in the gums or the palate (roof of the mouth).

Cold sores can occur in clusters or singly. They are not the same as canker sores, which are ulcers that occur in the soft tissues of the mouth. To define cold sores and its causes, ask a physician or visit online websites such as WebMD or Medicine Net.

Many cold sore sufferers can define cold sores and its causes due to a lifetime of outbreaks. They can also testify to the stigma they have felt picking up prescriptions for antiviral medications such as Valtrex. This is used to treat both cold sores and genital herpes. Both are highly contagious. Unfortunately, both of them have no cure.

Both types of herpes can lie dormant but still be transmitted though there are no actual sores present. Genital herpes (HSV-2) is sexually transmitted but cold sores (HSV-1) are most commonly transmitted by oral contact such as kissing, or using someone else’s toothbrush or lipstick.

Causes of Cold Sores

Doctors define cold sores and its causes as the following: “The virus lies latent (dormant) in the body. This is reawakened (reactivated) by factors such as stress, sunburn, or fever from a wide range of infectious diseases including colds. Recurrences are less common after age 35. Sunscreen (SPF 15 or more) on the lips prevents recurrences of herpes from sunburn.”

You need to know how to prevent cold sores after having information how to define cold sores and its causes. Actually, avoiding all the main causes of cold sores is important to prevent the cold sores happen. You need to know that cold sore is actually triggered by sun exposure, stress, fever, colds, and other emotional or physical.

To help this, you have to get plenty of rest, avoid the sun, and drink plenty of water. In addition, you also need to learn to manage stress and maintain a healthy diet. Hopefully, these can help to avoid the outbreaks of your cold sores. If you need more information, please explore links in this Cold Sores Solutions site.