How does cold sores form

It may then develop into a small, inflamed red patch, where a blister-like top can form. This may break open and weep clear liquid, which then forms hard crusts.

Once the crusts have dried out and fallen off, recovery is nearly complete. Most people get cold sores on their lips, but it is possible to get cold sores on your nose, your eyes and your genitals too.

Many people think they have a cold sore on their tongue or inside their mouth because canker sores can look a little like a cold sore blister on your lip. But canker sores only occur inside the moist areas of the mouth — on your gums, inner lips and tongue — while cold sores only appear on the outer edge of the lip or on the lip itself.

You can transmit and become infected by the HSV-1 virus by touching others, especially through kissing, as the virus is passed on through saliva and direct contact with the lips.

You can also contract the virus by sharing infected items such as eating utensils or by sharing cosmetics. Yes, cold sores are extremely contagious. You can become infected with the virus through kissing, touching your fingers to your mouth or eyes if your fingers have become infected with the virus from someone else, for example , and by sharing infected items. Make sure you follow good hand-washing practices, washing with soap for at least 20 seconds and using hand sanitizer when needed.

Avoiding close contact with those who have visible signs of the virus and not touching your mouth, eyes and nose are all ways you can help protect yourself against contracting the virus and passing it on to others vi.

Sorting the cold sore myths from the facts will help you pick the best treatment to shorten your recovery time and allow your skin to heal quickly. In most cases, cold sores heal by themselves within 10 to 14 days. While cold sores are an unpleasant and potentially unsightly illness to experience, they are unlikely to cause lasting harm. Cold sores are small painful blisters that can appear around the mouth, face, or nose. Cold sores or fever blisters are very common.

They usually go away on their own within 1 to 2 weeks. Cold sores first form blisters on the lips, around the mouth, and sometimes inside the mouth. The blisters then become sores, which can make eating painful. They're filled with fluid, but crust over and form a scab before they go away.

Sometimes the virus causes redness and swelling of the gums, fever, muscle aches, a generally ill feeling, and swollen neck glands. After someone first gets HSV-1, the virus can lie quietly in the body without causing any symptoms. But it can wake up again later from things like:. When the virus reactivates, it can cause tingling and numbness around the mouth before blisters appear. The herpes simplex virus type 1 HSV-1 causes cold sores. This is a different virus from herpes simplex virus type 2 HSV HSV-2 causes lesions in the genital area called genital herpes.

Cold sore Cold sores, often called fever blisters, are clustered, small, fluid-filled blisters. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter.

Show references AskMayoExpert. Cold sores herpes simplex infection. Mayo Clinic; Dinulos JGH. Warts, herpes simplex, and other viral infections. In: Habif's Clinical Dermatology. Elsevier; Accessed April 7, Herpes simplex. American Academy of Dermatology. Ferri FF, et al. Kermott CA, et al. Canker sores. Time; Cold sores. Gibson LE expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. April 6, Lemon balm. Natural Medicines. Accessed April 8, Bauer BA, ed. Making wellness the focus of care. Klein RS.