Cold sores or ‘fever blisters’ come from a common viral infection seen in the general population and is due to Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV). Although it is not a serious medical condition and has the potential to heal itself once the body immune mechanism takes over, it can cause a debilitating disease and embarrassment to the patient.
Where do cold sores take place?
Cold sores can appear in any part of the skin or on the mucous membranes although the commonest locations would be on the lips and around the mouth.
What are the characteristics of a cold sore?
It appears like a fluid filled blister on a skin surface, which is red and swollen. The area will feel tingling before the blister appear and could be tender afterwards. There may be one or more blisters on a particular site and they may break-up and give rise to a clear fluid discharge. There may be other associated signs along with cold sores and these include, fever, sore throat, swollen neck glands and body weakness.
What causes a cold sore?
As mentioned before, it is a viral disease due to HSV and there are two serotypes named as HSV1 and HSV2 that can give rise to similar manifestations. Among these two, the HSV1 is responsible for most of the cold sores and HSV2 is usually restricted to the infections in the anal region. Once infected, the HSV travels into the surface layer of the skin through skin breeches and promote the accumulation of fluid in those cells.
How does the HSV infection spread?
In most instances, the virus spread through direct contact and ‘kissing’ an infected person is perhaps the most common method of acquiring HSV. However, since the virus can be present in the saliva of an infected person, it is possible for it to spreads via shared utensils such as cups, eating utensils, razors…etc. Sharing of towels, clothing and other objects which gets in contact with an infected persons body could also transmit the disease as blister secretions could also be having a considerable amount of viruses. Apart from these methods, direct handling of cold sores could also transmit the disease from one person to another. According to estimates, about 90% of the adult population will posses HSV antibodies in their blood which signifies their exposure to HSV.
How does it heal?
The disease is self-limiting which means it heals by itself without any long-term complications although the possibility of recurrence could be high among those who develop the disease. The reason being that, HSV can remain dormant in the nerve endings for a prolonged period following travelling through the nerves from an infected site. However, when it heals, a scab will form within few days to 1 week after formation of a blister and it will usually fall off after 1 – 2 weeks without any residual scarring.
What can cause a re-activation of cold sores?
There can be multiple factors leading to a re-activation and among them, physical and mental stressors, severe cold, excessive exposure to sunlight, menstrual periods, poor diet, other infections…etc could be highlighted.
What are the treatment options for cold sores?
It is not a treatable disease although it is possible to accelerate the healing process by few days with certain medications. Thus, painkillers, creams, ointments and certain other anti-inflammatory agents would assist in the process of healing.
Reference:
Medline plus
Mayo Clinic