Could I catch herpes from my friend? WORRIED! HELP?

Question

Ok, so I'm pretty sure my friend has herpes, because she gets these crazy cold sores around her mouth every once in awhile... and when I told her that it could be herpes, she didn't know what it was, but then when I told her what it was and how she could catch it, she seemed shocked and was really quiet... like she did have unprotected sex or something.

Now, here's the thing. Could I catch it?
I let her use my eyelier once on the bottom and top of her eyelids once, and then I think I used it...
And we always hug and stuff...
And I ate some cookies she made me once... and we always share food and stuff, but unless she spit in something, I don't think her saliva ever mixed with mine.

Would the virus even live on a cookie or something?

And right now, I have this weird thing on my lip that started out as a blackhead, but is now all red, painful, and weird looking.

IS IT POSSIBLE???

I know you can get it from protected sex, but she had a boyfriend a few years ago, and didn't know much about that stuff... and he was older.. so, it just seemed like they might have done stuff that was risky... cuz she doesn't like to talk about it. She still barely knows/cares about protection, and she's almost 18, so I don't know if she's giving guys oral or whatever and not caring.

Jules UK: It's not like I said "Hey, you look like you have herpes!"

She asked me why some people were making fun of her sores and saying that she must make out with a lot of people or be a **** or something, and I explained that they were being stupid and acting like she had Herpes.

I never actually thought she HAD Herpes, but she freaked when I told her how she would contract it. And now I'm googling Herpes blisters, and they look exactly like hers. Mine isn't red right now, so I hope I'm safe.

Answer 1

YES - of course - Herpes is spread by direct contact including:

Sexual contact

Anal sex

Oral sex

Vaginal sex

as well as

Kissing

Skin-to-skin contact which transmits HSV-1 and HSV-2

Answer 2

Of course you can catch herpes from a friend. Most of us get it as little kids from our family and friends. Hugging is fine, eating food that she has prepared is fine. Don't share makeup, the same dish of food, or utensils. Don't kiss her lips, although my Mom has herpes and I'd rather catch herpes than giving up kisses, so I just don't kiss her during an outbreak and hope for the best.

The fact that she has outbreaks of cold sores is a good indicator that she has herpes. It's very likely that many of us have the virus in our system without getting the outbreaks. If you do have an outbreak, you certainly cannot pin-point her as the source of the infection, it's not that hard to pick up.

However, I don't think you should worry and what you described doesn't really sound like a cold-sore. A persons first outbreak is usually somewhat severe and begins with tingling, itching, or burning sensations. Lips are so susceptible to chapping and cracking, and the onset of the colder weather (dryness), the black-head, maybe a little picking, etc can really make something on your lip look worse. If it gets crusty, painful, or spreads go to the doctor. Impetigo often occurs on the face too and is fairly common and needs treatment.

Don't be paranoid. There isn't anything you can do except for practice clean habits (around everyone) and hope for the best. We live with herpes all around us and this type is not necessarily sexually transmitted although you could of course spread it that way.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

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Answer 5

OK. Firstly, the likelihood is that your friend DOES have cold sores (oral herpes hsv-1) but that this has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with sex.

8 out of 10 people are infected with cold sores, all of which are caused by herpes by the way, by high school age - it really isn't a big deal. It is just that the virus causes different degrees of symptoms in differnet people - one person might catch cold sores aged 5 and never have another, and someone like your friend might get really bad ones really often. It is just unfortunate for her, but nothing ot be worried about.

The most common way to catch cold sores is as a very small child by being kissed by a family member. If someone in your family close to you gets cold sores, there is a good chance you are infected. It's just that most people never get symptoms. It doesn't have anything to do with her having sex, it just means that at some point in her life, from being a baby onwards, she has been kissed by someone else who had a cold sore.

Unless you kiss her directly when she has a sore, you aren't going to get them.

Herpes is passed through skin to skin contact, and not through saliva or inanimate objects. No, it couldn't live on a cookie. The herpes virus is very fragile, it only survives outside the body for a few seconds and then not in sufficient quantities to infect you.

For you to catch her cold sores, you would need mouth to mouth contact.

And she only has oral herpes, not the genital kind, they are not to be confused as a herpes infection is localised- i.e. ONLY her mouth is infectious, not her genitals nor any other part of her.

The only thing she may need to worry about in future is that if she gives someone oral sex there is a possibility she could give them genital herpes, if they don't already have cold sores on their mouth themselves. She should tell sexual partners before giving them oral sex that there is a small risk, and avoid kisisng or giving oral sex when she has a sore.

But as her friend, there is nothing for you to worry about. Remember that the majority of people have cold sores like her - it is very common and mostly very minor.

Answer 6

herpes simplex can usually only be spread through sexual contact or open sores. And yes, there are two types, oral and genital... either one isn't too great to have, the latter obviously worse.
There really isn't a way for you to know definitely whether or not you have it except to get tested.
I don't know how old you are, but it's usually a good idea to test for it at least once a year if you are sexually active.
There are plenty of free clinics that will do this for you with absolute confidentiality and free of charge(assuming you live in North America, I don't know about the rest of the world).

Answer 7

herpes come in many strands. and it could be contagious depending on your immune system. it could be herpes or it could just be a simple cold sore/canker sore or a cut. if it starts out black and becomes red and starts to bleed in the next few days, you have came in contact with herpes, get some over the counter medications and rub it on the infected spot and it should disappear within 10-12 days.
Usually herpes on the upper body area are non threatening. nothing to worry about.

Answer 8

Depending on the type of herpes it's POSSIBLE that she has (because neither of you know for a fact), then yes it can be contagious. She needs to get tested first and if she refuses, alert someone of higher authority like her parents (if you're under 18) or something. this matter should NOT Be taken lightly...especially since herpes has no cure.

Answer 9

I think you're too wary. Cold sores are a form of herpes, but not necessarily the same as genital herpes. There's herpes simplex 1 and herpes simplex 2. I'm not sure exactly which is which, but they're both forms of herpes. I'm pretty sure you can't get it form saliva, it's from actually touching they sores...

Try looking at http://www.webmd.com

Answer 10

100% Eliminate Any Herpes Naturally - http://HerpesCure.neatprim.com

Answer 11

Ok this might sound horrible, but I think you should make up an excuse to not hang around her anymore. She'll get the picture that you don't want to be her friend anymore. You should never come in that much contact with a person who has herpes. Even if she is your best friend forever, it's better to not have a serious illness and not have your friend than to be sick and have a friend who's sick too.