Unistat : herpes simplex 1
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
Often referred to as fever blisters or cold sores, HSV Type 1
infections are tiny, clear, fluid-filled blisters that most often
occur on the face. Less frequently, Type 1 infections can occur in
the genital area. Type 1 may also develop in wounds on the skin.
There are two kinds of infections — primary and recurrent. Although most people get infected when exposed to the virus, only 10 percent will actually develop sores. The sores of a primary infection appear two to twenty days after contact with an infected person and can last from seven to ten days.
The number of blisters varies from one to a group of blisters. Before the blisters appear, the skin may itch, sting, burn, or tingle. The blisters can break as a result of minor injury, allowing the fluid inside the blisters to ooze and crust. Eventually, crusts fall off, leaving slightly red healing skin.
The sores from the primary infection heal completely and rarely leave a scar. However, the virus that caused the infection remains in the body. It moves to nerve cells where it remains in a resting state.
People may then have a recurrence
either in the same location as the first infection or in a nearby
site. The infection may recur every few weeks or not at all.