Introduction
The herpes simplex virus, which is also responsible for lip herpes, is present in an inactivated form in the majority of the population. Once a person has been infected with the virus, it is present in the body for life and outbreaks of the virus can occur at any time, which is called reactivation. In most cases, this manifests itself as cold sore, which is characterised by painful, red blisters on the lip. How long the lip herpes occurs and which treatment measures are appropriate is now to be clarified.
How long does lip herpes last?
The duration of lip herpes depends primarily on the treatment and the cause. In any case, the cause is stress. The recurrence of herpes (herpes recurrence) is largely related to the current state of mind.
Stress and exhaustion in particular therefore cause an increased recurrence of lip herpes. The stress hormones enable the virus to multiply faster. In addition, the stress hormones weaken the immune system, which is actually supposed to fight the virus.
The duration of lip herpes is about 10 days without treatment. Depending on the health condition of the person affected, the duration can vary. With treatment and a good state of health, the duration can be shortened. If the general condition of the person affected has worsened, the disease can last longer.
How can I shorten the duration?
On the one hand, the cause of the new outbreak of the viral disease should be identified. Often there is no specific reason, but stress is often the trigger. In this case it is important to avoid stress.
If the stress is reduced, the effectiveness of the immune system increases. As a result, the virus can be contained again. In addition, there are various herbal or chemical agents that can be used for treatment.
The duration of the treatment can be shortened by a few days. It is particularly important that the contents of the blisters do not come into contact with other areas of skin or the eyes. The content of the blisters is highly infectious! Herpes patches can be used here to cover the blisters.
How long do symptoms last?
The occurrence of lip herpes can be divided into at least five phases. The first phase is called the prodromal phase (phase before the actual disease). The prodromal phase usually includes symptoms such as tingling, pain and a feeling of tension.
However, this phase does not occur in all patients and usually lasts a maximum of one day. In the next phase the vesicles are already forming. The blister formation lasts about 1.5 days.
This is followed by the breaking open of the blisters, the so-called ulceration. This leads to weeping wounds which can cause pain. The ulceration phase usually lasts from half a day to a whole day.
After that, the open, weeping sores can be found on the lip. This condition lasts between five and six days until the wound is completely encrusted. These crusts can sometimes cause severe itching. Within the last one or two days, the lip herpes finally heals completely. You can find more information on this topic at: cold sores
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