016: #askalexandra Are Cold Sores, Fever Blisters, And Herpes The Same Thing?
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Welcome to episode 16 of Life With Herpes, I’m excited to share this #askalexandra episode with you! These shows are your chance to have your question answered, and I love being able to interact with you directly so thanks for writing in! Our question for episode 16 comes from Michaela in Houston. Thank you for reaching out with your question about whether cold sores, fever blisters and herpes are all the same thing. Join me for the answer on this edition of Life With Herpes!
Are all of those names - fever blister, cold sore - the same thing as herpes? Yes they are one and the same. I personally believe the word herpes is a word people don’t want to use so instead we say cold sore or fever blister, but it's all the same thing.
It's really HSV-1, oral herpes and is generally in the mouth area but it can go to the genital region. Be cautious of that fact so you don't pass it on to yourself or anyone else.
But how common is it? Very common. Most people have HSV-1, it's estimated 2 out of 3 people in the US have it. However it's not considered an STD because it can be passed through social contact like using someone's cup, taking a bite of someone's food, just a quick hello kiss from a family member with an outbreak.
The reason we've called it a cold sore is because when we have an outbreak we might feel like we have a cold or we feel like we're coming down with some thing that could be a cold.
A fever blister is the same thing: we feel like we're coming down with something, our bodies are tired and fighting off some kind of infection. But for a lot of people they say fever blister because when they are in the sun and they don't use sunscreen or chapstick with sunscreen they will get an outbreak.
Personally I got HSV-1 when I was coming home from a date and my date kissed me when he had a cold sore. Two days later I had an outbreak and it was so bad I had to go to the hospital! I couldn't eat, sleep, or do anything because the outbreak was so severe.
And that pretty much sums up the answer to Michaela’s great question! If you want to be one of the cool kids like Michaela and submit your question go to the Life With Herpes web site and look for the #askalexandra link, click it and fill out the form. You can stay anonymous just check the box, otherwise I’ll only use your first name and your city when I air your question.
A big thank you to Michaela again for her question and thanks to you for joining me on another episode of Life With Herpes, see you next time.
Episode Resources
Ask, Answer and Get The Facts About Herpes
Welcome to episode 16 of Life With Herpes, I’m excited to share this #askalexandra episode with you! These shows are your chance to have your question answered, and I love being able to interact with you directly so thanks for writing in! Our question for episode 16 comes from Michaela in Houston. Thank you for reaching out with your question about whether cold sores, fever blisters and herpes are all the same thing. Join me for the answer on this edition of Life With Herpes!
More About Life With Herpes
Are all of those names - fever blister, cold sore - the same thing as herpes? Yes they are one and the same. I personally believe the word herpes is a word people don’t want to use so instead we say cold sore or fever blister, but it's all the same thing.
It's really HSV-1, oral herpes and is generally in the mouth area but it can go to the genital region. Be cautious of that fact so you don't pass it on to yourself or anyone else.
But how common is it? Very common. Most people have HSV-1, it's estimated 2 out of 3 people in the US have it. However it's not considered an STD because it can be passed through social contact like using someone's cup, taking a bite of someone's food, just a quick hello kiss from a family member with an outbreak.
Tweetable: “2 out of 3 people in the US have oral herpes.” - Alexandra Harbushka
The reason we've called it a cold sore is because when we have an outbreak we might feel like we have a cold or we feel like we're coming down with some thing that could be a cold.
A fever blister is the same thing: we feel like we're coming down with something, our bodies are tired and fighting off some kind of infection. But for a lot of people they say fever blister because when they are in the sun and they don't use sunscreen or chapstick with sunscreen they will get an outbreak.
Personally I got HSV-1 when I was coming home from a date and my date kissed me when he had a cold sore. Two days later I had an outbreak and it was so bad I had to go to the hospital! I couldn't eat, sleep, or do anything because the outbreak was so severe.
And that pretty much sums up the answer to Michaela’s great question! If you want to be one of the cool kids like Michaela and submit your question go to the Life With Herpes web site and look for the #askalexandra link, click it and fill out the form. You can stay anonymous just check the box, otherwise I’ll only use your first name and your city when I air your question.
A big thank you to Michaela again for her question and thanks to you for joining me on another episode of Life With Herpes, see you next time.
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