What are cold sores?

With the holidays just around the corner, there will be a lot of kissing again. At times like this, cold sores are very annoying. What exactly are cold sores and what you can do about them?

Cold sores are caused by a herpes virus. Genital herpes, zona and chickenpox are also caused by a herpes virus, but a different type. Cold sores cause painful blisters and scabs to form at the junction of the lips and skin and are highly contagious. Infection occurs in childhood and 80% of people are infected in adulthood. Infection often occurs through simple kissing between mother and child.

Only 20% of people have cold sores regularly. The blisters occur during periods of stress, illness and fatigue. The name suggests that they only occur with fever, but that is not correct. The blisters disappear spontaneously after a week. Treatment is not strictly necessary unless the blisters are still present after 2 weeks.

Source: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/cold-sores-treatment

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2024-07-15 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2025