are very painful and
unsightly blister-like facial sores. Sometimes they are called fever blisters or
oral herpes lesions.
Cold sores are virus
created. It is the herpes simplex virus, type I or type II that
causes
cold sores. These are two of the eight different herpes viruses that infect
humans. Other forms of this virus cause such diseases as shingles and
chickenpox.
Because kissing is the most
common way this virus is transmitted, they usually form on the edge
of your lip or nose. They can occur anywhere the virus can get through the skin
to the mucus membrane. This includes cheeks, neck, fingertips, arms and even the
eyes.
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Do cold sores mean no more kissing? Definitely not - and do not let
anyone try to scare you on this matter.
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The herpes virus is quite a
"home-body". It lives in the nerves and will choose a nerve fiber close to the
initial infection site for its permanent residence. If and when this virus
creates a sore, it will always be near where it was first contracted.
If you get sores at different
sites, it means that each of those sites has its own virus colony imbedded
there. This often happens when the virus is spread from the original site with
contaminated fingers or objects.
The
cold sore virus creates the sore by destroying thousands of skin and
nerve cells. This is the collateral damage of its reproduction process.
The main drive of all living
things is to create offspring. Viruses cannot reproduce their own kind, as
bacteria can do. The herpes virus forces the cells to
replicate new virus "clones" and then destroys the cells to release their newly created virus
offspring.
This destruction of cells
creates an ulcer-type sore which then quickly scabs over to protect the wound.
They are blister-like in that they are fluid filled. This fluid is created by
your immune system to wash away the offending virus particles.
How dangerous are cold sores? The biggest danger is that the fluid is
teaming with viruses and is very contagious. It can be easily transmitted to
others or to other locations on your body.
Cold sore symptoms are quite similar for everyone. It is a good idea to
become familiar with them in order to deal with them effectively. Basically it
starts with a slight itching sensation, moves into the blister then healing
stages.
This entire journey takes from
two to four weeks or more, if left untreated. Experienced sufferers have
developed their own
cold sore treatment plan that cuts this time down to as little as three
days.
Cold sores usually interrupt
our lives at the worst possible times - often before a big event, or when you
are just getting over a bout with the flu, or a cold. You can access many
amazingly effective remedies for your
