What is the difference between cold sores and oral herpes

Skip to content. Read Our Blog. Common symptoms of a cold sore include: Developing a sore throat Noticing the area around your mouth and lips is beginning to tingle or burn The lymph glands in your neck may sometimes swell up You may develop a fever Cold sores generally look like small red blisters, and will often burst after a few days. What Causes Mouth Ulcers? Published by. You may feel a tingling on your lip before a small, hard, painful spot appears top. In a day or two, blisters form, which later break and ooze bottom.

Healing usually occurs in two to three weeks without scarring. Cold sores — also called fever blisters — are a common viral infection. They are tiny, fluid-filled blisters on and around your lips.

These blisters are often grouped together in patches. After the blisters break, a scab forms that can last several days. Cold sores usually heal in two to three weeks without leaving a scar. Cold sores spread from person to person by close contact, such as kissing. Both of these viruses can affect your mouth or genitals and can be spread by oral sex. Cold sores are contagious even if you don't see the sores. There's no cure for cold sores, but treatment can help manage outbreaks. Prescription antiviral pills or creams can help sores heal more quickly.

And they may reduce the frequency, length and severity of future outbreaks. Signs and symptoms vary, depending on whether this is your first outbreak or a recurrence. The first time you have a cold sore, symptoms may not start for up to 20 days after you were first exposed to the virus.

The sores can last several days, and the blisters can take two to three weeks to heal completely. Recurrences typically appear at the same spot each time and tend to be less severe than the first outbreak. Children under 5 years old may have cold sores inside their mouths and the lesions are commonly mistaken for canker sores.

Canker sores involve only the mucous membrane and aren't caused by the herpes simplex virus. Cold sores are caused by certain strains of the herpes simplex virus HSV. HSV -1 usually causes cold sores. HSV -2 is usually responsible for genital herpes. But either type can spread to the face or genitals through close contact, such as kissing or oral sex. Shared eating utensils, razors and towels might also spread HSV Cold sores are most contagious when you have oozing blisters because the virus easily spreads through contact with infected body fluids.

But you can spread the virus even if you don't have blisters. Cold sores and canker sores both appear in or near the mouth, but they are very different. Things that can trigger cold sores include:. Cold sores are called oral herpes because the virus is located in and around the mouth.

They usually appear as a painful blister or group of blisters on the:. These sores can itch, burn, tingle, and drain fluid throughout the duration of the infection, which lasts about 7 to 10 days. If there is uncertainty, a swab of the fluids from the sores can be tested for herpes simplex virus type 1.

Unfortunately, cold sores are highly contagious. One of the most common ways people develop cold sores is simply by coming into contact with another infected person.

You can become infected this way even if that person is treating their symptoms and regardless of whether they are experiencing any symptoms at all. Children and young adults are the most vulnerable to the virus because they are most likely to spread the virus through kissing and sharing eating utensils. Canker sores are small, round ulcers that appear inside your mouth.