Cold sores

[wbe987]

What's the deal with cold sores? I've been getting them on my lip/around my mouth since I was young, like really young, so I couldn't have gotten them through sex. Is this herpes? I'm a little confused and it's kind of an embarrassing problem.

[Victoriana]

Cold sores are really common, and are almost always due to HSV-1 infections that most of us have and usually acquired through kissing (even a family member). It's possible to get oral HSV from giving someone oral sex, but most people already have the virus orally by the time they become sexually active. Just don't kiss or give oral sex if you have cold sores or think you might.

[ewhite]

Upwards of 50-80% of the population in the US has the oral herpes virus HSV-1. Cold sores don't threaten your health; they are mostly just an inconvenience. This website has a lot of helpful information on cold sores and how to deal with them: Slideshow: Coping With Cold Sores