Cold Sores are a very common affliction. People that have these usually know when they are getting ready to have an outbreak. Most of the time, these raised bumps that usually progress to blisters then scabs occur on the lips. These sores are caused by a virus that is capable of being transmitted at almost every stage of the outbreak. The outbreak will usually last 10-14 days.
A cold sore will generally arise from four conditions. 1: When you become infected for the first time. The last three scenarios are for those that have already experience an initial outbreak. 2: Stress, 3: Sun Exposure, and 4: An illness like a cold, flu or a more serious medical condition can cause the virus to be active.
A cold sore is caused by a herpetic virus and will never go away completely. The virus stays dormant in the nerve until it has the opportunity to come out. Most people experience these outbreaks as infrequently as once a year. Some people have them all the time. The good news is that we have very safe anti-viral drugs that can make the course of the outbreak shorter and in some cases stop the virus all together.