Coldsore symptoms
Cold sores are grouped blisters caused by herpes simplex virus, usually appearing on or around the lip and healing in stages.
The short answer
Cold sores are clusters of fluid-filled blisters caused by herpes simplex virus, commonly on the lip border or nearby skin, followed by crusting and healing.
What is the direct answer?
What does this question mean?
The virus remains in nerve tissue after the first infection and can reactivate in the skin supplied by that nerve. Tingling or burning may come first, followed by small blisters that break, weep, crust, and resolve.
What can you do next?
Keep the area clean, avoid picking the crust, wash hands after touching it, and avoid kissing or sharing cups, utensils, lip products, or oral contact while lesions are present. A clinician can discuss an antiviral medicine early in an episode when appropriate.
When should you seek dental care?
Seek medical or dental assessment for an eye-area lesion, severe or widespread sores, difficulty drinking, frequent recurrences, an episode that does not heal, or a weakened immune system. A new mouth ulcer without typical blisters may have another cause.
What should you ask the dentist?
Is the lesion on the lip border or inside the mouth? Did tingling precede grouped blisters? Could another condition explain it, and would early antiviral treatment be appropriate?
Frequently asked questions
Are cold sores the same as canker sores?
No. Cold sores usually form grouped blisters on or around the lip, while canker sores are ulcers inside the mouth.
Can a cold sore spread to the eye?
Yes. Avoid touching the lesion and then the eye, and seek prompt care for eye pain, redness, or a lesion near the eye.