How do I know if I have a cold sore?
The first sign of a cold sore is often a tingly or burning feeling where it is about to appear.
It's also common to be quite itchy around this area as well. This itchy, tingling feeling tends to last from a few hours up to 1 day.
Look closely at the tingling area - you're looking for slight redness and maybe a slightly raised area.
The skin over the cold sore area continues to become a little puffy, as a blister forms. Once the blister comes to the surface and dries and dries to form a scab, the skin continues to heal and return to normal.
Why do I get them?
It's all down to a virus, called the herpes simplex virus.There are two types:HSV-1 usually results in cold sores, HSV-2 is frequently associated with genital herpes.Both nasty little viruses lurk in your system until you get run down, or something triggers an attack.
Cold sores are spread by direct contact with the sores or the saliva of a person with a cold sore. This usually happens if you’re kissed by someone who probably doesn’t yet know they have a cold sore.
