How to Treat Herpes

There are two types of herpes: cold sores and genital herpes.

l  Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, kissing blisters or oral herpes, are considered a viral infection. These infections are called herpes simplex virus or HSV-1 and appear on the skin with a tingling feeling and are accompanied by some redness on the skin. Eventually, they become bubbly, reddish blisters on or around your mouth and lips.

You can get a cold sore from a number a ways. You could have gotten the cold sore virus which has been dormant for a number of years and then appears due to stress, or hormonal changes. Cold sores are contagious and can be spread when you come in contact with someone else with the virus. If someone has a visible lesion of signs of blistering, then do not kiss them or share a towel with them, to ensure that you won’t contract the virus from them.

l  Genital herpes, also known as HSV-2, is a common, highly infectious disease caused by a virus that is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Sores may appear on the vagina, penis, scrotum, buttocks or anus, and start out as red bumps that soon turn into red watery blisters.

Having a cold sore makes you feel very self conscious because it is visible to everyone, but rest assured that there are treatments to eliminate cold sores. Generic Zovirax (Acyclovir) Cream 5%, is a prescription antiviral cream for the treatment of recurrent cold sores in adults and adolescents. Although it does not cure cold sores and does not prevent transmission, it may zero in on your herpes and shorten the length of time you have them. Generic Zovirax (Acyclovir) is also used to treat genital herpes and reduces the pain and the number of lesions in the initial case of genital herpes. It also decreases the frequency and severity of recurrent infections.