question about cold sores???

Question

When I get a coldsore and it falls off, and its gone, there is a red circle thing on where the cold sore was, its like a red mark, but in a circle, does anyone else get this and will it go away?

also, someone told me that its new skin forming and it will go away but i need to make sure

Answer 1

I usally get cold sores in the same place all the time. it will eventually fade away. Don't worry.

Answer 2

If you get coldsores often, try over the counter (Llysine) sold in most grocery stores in a pill form like a vitamin. It is harmless and is like an amino acid and is supposed to really help with cold sores.

Answer 3

It still have to heal. Only the scab went away, not the clearing of the skin.

Answer 4

Your skin is healing..It will go away.

Answer 5

It will heal.

Answer 6

What are cold sores?
Cold sores are a type of facial lesion that are found either on the lips or else on the skin in the area immediately adjacent to the mouth. Some equivalent terms that are used to refer to cold sores are "fever blisters" and the medical term "recurrent herpes labialis."
Specifically what does cause cold sores?
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. No doubt you've heard of "herpes" before, but don't jump ahead of yourself. There are actually two types of herpes simplex virus, "type 1" and "type 2."
Type 1 herpes simplex virus.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 ("HSV1") generally only infects those body tissues that lie "above the waistline" and it is HSV1 that causes cold sores in the majority of cases.
Type 2 herpes simplex virus.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 ("HSV2") usually only infects those body tissues that lie "below the waistline" and it is this virus that is also known as "genital herpes." Herpes simplex virus type 2 is not usually the virus that causes cold sores, although it can.

How do people get exposed to the herpes simplex virus that causes their cold sores?
When you think of having an infection you usually assume that you were recently exposed to the germ that has caused your problem. With cold sores this is not the case. Cold sores are not a sign of a recently acquired herpes simplex infection but instead a reactivation of herpes virus particles already living in your body. Cold sores occur when latent herpes simplex virus particles, which have been lying dormant ("asleep"), become reactivated.

Where does this dormant herpes simplex virus come from?
The dormant virus particles come from a previous herpes infection. A person's initial herpes simplex virus infection, termed "primary herpetic stomatitis," does not usually take the form of a cold sore and therefore a person may not relate their initial exposure to the herpes virus to the recurrent cold sores that they get.

What are the signs and symptoms of a person's initial herpes (HSV1) infection?
The signs and symptoms associated with a person's initial infection of the herpes simplex virus (termed "primary herpetic stomatitis") usually take the following form:
The first signs of the infection are characterized by nonspecific constitutional symptoms such as: fever, irritability, headache, and pain upon swallowing.
A day or so after the infection's initial signs have appeared the person's mouth becomes painful and their gums become intensely inflamed.
Usually by day three of the infection a number of tiny blisters have formed throughout the person's mouth.
These blisters soon rupture resulting in gray colored ulcers.
These ulcers can be very painful and often interfere with a person's ability to eat.
The ulcers will eventually heal. Usually the entire infection has run its course within 10 to 14 days.

Why don't the symptoms of primary herpetic stomatitis seem familiar to you?
If you don't remember having had the classic signs and symptoms of primary herpetic stomatitis it might be because you experienced them as a small child. Most cases occur before the age of 7.

In other cases, if you don't remember having all the classic signs and symptoms, it's probably because your case was subclinical. This is by far the most common occurrence. It has been estimated that 99% of all cases of primary herpetic stomatitis are subclinical, meaning that the course the infection ran was so slight that its symptoms were not apparent. It is quite possible that when you had the infection that, at most, you only experienced one or two mild mouth sores.

How common is it that a person has been exposed to the herpes simplex virus (HSV1)?
It has been estimated that up to 80% of the general population has the presence of herpes simplex virus antibodies in their blood. Finding these antibodies is proof positive that a person has been exposed to the virus because our immune system only creates them in response to the physical presence of virus particles within our bodies.


Herpes is forever...
After a person's initial herpes simplex virus infection (either subclinical or full-blown) some of the herpes virus particles will remain in the person's system, and remain there forever. For the most part these virus particles will lie dormant in the person's system but at times they can become active. When this activation occurs the person will experience the outbreak of a cold sore.

The good news, at least from a statistical standpoint, is that although about 80% of the general population has been infected with the herpes simplex virus (HSV1) it's in only about one third of these people that the residual virus particles will become active at times and cause recurrent outbreaks of cold sores (fever blisters). The rest of us do still carry the virus but, for whatever reasons, it remains dormant and we remain cold sore free.

Where in our bodies do the dormant herpes virus particles reside?

As we mentioned previously, it is the reactivation of dormant herpes simplex virus particles that is the cause of cold sores. Between episodes of cold sore breakouts the dormant virus particles lie quietly "asleep" in nerve tissue. (In the case of HSV1 these dormant virus particles usually reside in the trigeminal nerve ganglion.) Once reactivated the virus particles travel down the nerve to the area of the face where the cold sore lesion ultimately forms.

In most cases a person's cold sores will always recur in essentially the same general facial area. This is because this is the region that is serviced by the nerve that harbors the dormant virus particles.

What triggers the reactivation of the herpes virus?
(What triggers outbreaks of cold sores?)
Each of the following items has been found to be an event that is often associated with the formation of cold sores. Many of these factors seem to correlate with time periods when a person's immune system would be expected to be weakened or stressed. If compromised, a person's immune system, which under normal circumstances would be able to keep the herpes virus particles in check, can be overwhelmed and a window of opportunity for cold sore formation can be opened.
-Emotional upset and stress.
-Physical stress and fatigue.
-llnesses (including a cold or the flu).
-Injury to the lips or skin, such as physical trauma or severe chapping.
-Injury to the lips from excessive exposure to bright sunlight or ultraviolet lamps.
-Menstruation or pregnancy.
-An immune system deficiency.

Research has shown that today's antiviral medications for cold sores can significantly minimize cold sore severity and duration if their use is started early enough. By observing which factors typically trigger their cold sores a person can learn when to expect an outbreak. If a person begins the use of antiviral medications early enough (preferably during the Tingle stage) they can quite possibly reduce cold sore symptoms dramatically.

How can you tell which mouth sores are cold sores?
Cold sores (fever blisters) are usually differentiated from other types of sores by way of observing their appearance and location.

Where do cold sores usually form?
Cold sores are usually found either:
-On or at the edge of a person's lip.
-On the facial skin near a person's mouth.
Each new cold sore breakout will typically form in essentially the same location as any previous cold sore outbreaks.

What do cold sores look like?
Cold sores usually run their course in 8 to 12 days, taking the following forms during the five stages outlined below:

Day 1-2 : The Tingle stage. [The Prodrome Stage.]
In most cases a person's first indication that a cold sore is developing is that they notice a sense of soreness, tautness, or swelling in the location where their cold sore will ultimately form. Sometimes this same area will become slightly reddened.
Day 2-3 : The Blister stage.
The first readily visible sign of cold sore formation is the appearance of several fluid filled blisters. Usually these blisters are very small (smaller in diameter than the thickness of a dime) and they usually form in a cluster that is no larger than about the size of a nickel. In some cases individual blisters coalesce with others so to form a single larger blister.
Day 4 : The Weeping stage. [The Ulcer Stage.]
Cold sore blisters usually rupture soon after they have formed, resulting in a shallow reddish ulceration whose surface becomes gray. This ulcerative phase of cold sore formation can be its most painful stage. This is also the stage during which a cold sore is most contagious.
Days 5 - 8 : The Crusting stage.
In those facial areas where a cold sore lesion is not kept wet by moisture from the mouth the ulcer will become dry and scab over with a brownish crust. This scabbing formation is often accompanied by an itching or burning sensation. The scab itself will often crack or break, which in turn can cause bleeding.
Days 9 - 12 : The Final Healing stage.
As time progresses so will the cold sore's healing. Usually a series of scabs will form on the lesion, each one flaking off before it is replaced by a new one. Each new scab will be smaller than the previous one until finally the cold sore resolves itself fully, in most cases without scarring.

Are cold sores painful?
Yes, cold sores typically are painful although the degree of discomfort they cause can vary greatly from person to person. Additionally, each individual stage of a cold sore's development will have associated with it its own degree of discomfort. Usually the Weeping stage is the most painful.

Are cold sores contagious?
Yes. Since cold sores contain the herpes simplex virus, if these virus particles are transferred to others they too can become infected. One common route by which the herpes virus is transmitted to others is by way of direct skin-to-skin contact such as kissing someone or even just brushing against their lesion. Virus particles can also be transmitted to others by way of an intermediary object such as an eating utensil, cup, lipstick or lip balm applicator, toothbrush, or even a face towel.

Besides transmitting virus particles to other people it is also important to realize that you can transfer the herpes virus to other parts of your own body. The herpes simplex virus can cause herpetic whitlow, a painful infection of the fingers. A herpes virus infection of the eye can result in corneal blindness. [This is why you should always wash your hands after handling or applying medicine to cold sores.]

The most contagious phase of a cold sore's formation is when its blisters rupture (the Weeping stage). This is because the liquid contained in these blisters holds literally millions of herpes simplex virus particles.

As a cold sore continues to run its course the number of virus particles that are present in the lesion diminishes. Usually by the time a scab has formed (the Crusting stage) the number of virus particles has lessened dramatically. From a practical standpoint however, all phases of a cold sore do have at least some virus present and each phase, from the Tingle stage on to the completion of healing, should be considered to be contagious.