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cold sores
so my boyfriend has cold sores, i researched a bit about it and apparently they are a type of HERPES! i am so scared now! because they are ALWAYS there, just that they are dormant! so i have kissed him before, when he didn't have the sores, does that mean i have been contaminated? like now i will have it for the rest of my life? just dormant?
and when do u know when they have healed? the last time we couldn't kiss when he had the sore on his lip, it was pink and we didn't know if it was healed or not, so we just did not kiss...
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I've answered many, many questions about herpes, both oral and genital strains. I hope that these links to other questions will come in handy for you:
"Can you get an STD from giving a hand job?"
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"Can you contract herpes on the outside of your genitals?"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
"How do you know if you have herpes? What is herpes anyway?"
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
"My boyfriend got sperm in my eyes. Are there risks? (Ocular herpes information)"
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"How did I get herpes? We used a condom and everything! Oh, and what helps calm the virus down so I don't have so many outbreaks?"
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When a person contracts HSV-1 or HSV-2, the virus actually lives in the body for the rest of the person's life. There is absolutely no cure.
Because the virus sleeps sometimes, it is unknown when you will have an outbreak. Sometimes people have a few symptoms of an outbreak (the area can be sore, itchy, tingly, etc.) and sometimes people have no idea that they are about to experience an outbreak.
Outbreak or not,his our body constantly is shedding skin cells all over--including his lips and genitalia. Sometimes the virus will be shed out of these areas (HSV-1 usually from the lips, HSV-2 usually from the genitals). This being said, you never know when his body is shedding some of the infected cells. Nobody can tell when they are shedding the skin cells because it is so natural your body does not react to it. There will be no "signs" to shedding the cells, you see.
When the skin cells are being shed, this is when the virus is most contagious. It is true that they are shed a lot more during an outbreak (which is why it's VERY important to never engage in sexual activity during this time). In short, he is always shedding a virus that is highly contagious--sometimes more than others.
This being said, even if he is not ill he can definately pass the virus along to another person. This is why it is very important to inform sexual partners of any kind about your condition so that they are aware of the possible consequences. There is no guarantee that he will pass it on just as there is no guarantee that he won't pass it along.
Now, it is very possible that he can transfer herpes onto the genitals of a male or female if giving oral. HSV-1 (oral herpes) can definately be contracted on genitals; however, because it is still the HSV-1 strain it is not considered genital herpes even though it would occur on the genitals. Just as some people have contracted HSV-2 (genital herpes) on their mouths, the two strains are different and cannot morph into each other.
Condoms can lessen risks of infecting someone but are not considered a preventative. Also, you can spread oral herpes onto other areas of your body so it's very important that you wash your hands before and after touching the sore (which you should do as little as possible anyway). Make sure you inform your partner about his disease so he takes special precautions.
The first outbreak usually occurs in or around the [infected or exposed] area between 3 days and 2 weeks after exposure to the virus. To be certain if you have been infected you will need to make a doctor's appointment for an STD test. They will need to take blood to test to see if the virus had infected your cells since you probably do not have a physical outbreak to scrape off at the moment.
As a note, you did the right thing by not kissing him when the lip was still pink. He was still in the "highly contagious" state. Please make sure his lips look normal again before deciding to kiss so you can lessen your infection risk.
Any other questions you have, PLEASE feel free to ask me! I am fairly well educated about herpes, including some treatments for it (no, it's not curable yet). I want people to be as educated as they possibly can be about this because it's serious business. SO, please feel free to see a question to my inbox if you have any you want me to answer.
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k your not contaminated and he should ge the cold sore tube and he shuld just but dab of it on the cold sore and it shuld be fine in a day or two.
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