The herpes simplex virus 1, or better known as cold sores and fever blisters, are caught through some form of contact with another person. This contact can be through touching another person in the area in which there is the outbreak of cold sores or through saliva. Catching it through saliva can even come from drinking from the same cup as someone that currently has an outbreak. The majority of people will actually develop the herpes simplex virus 1 or HSV-1 in their preteen years. It will actually stay inactive until something stimulates the virus to become active and the outbreak of sores begins and effects the eyes and fingers. Also, the use of Lysine for cold sores is an option for the treatment of these fever blisters that can occur at any point in time.

Treatment

Treating cold sores or fever blisters depends on the phase at which it is at and what you would want as a treatment. There are many home remedies for cold sores if this is the method you prefer but there are also options of over the counter cold sore medicine that are available.

For home remedies, putting ice directly on the sores will help bring down the fever as well as preventing them from bursting. Upping the dosage of Vitamin C and Vitamin B will help build up your immune system to fight off the virus and help shorten the healing time.

If the cold sores are already at the point of where the blisters have burst, then keeping the area clean and dry is necessary. Salt and baking soda can act as a home remedy for drying out the sores and preventing them from leaking and spreading to the surrounding area.

Symptoms

For the symptoms of fever blisters, every experience will be different for each person. With the first time that the fever blisters appear, there can be a fever, light to moderate headaches, along with vomiting and nausea as well. Some may even notice having a sore throat or slight swelling of the throat area.

After the first initial outbreak, the symptoms can start off different, allowing you the chance to know exactly what is happening giving you the chance to get cold sore treatment. A tingling feeling in the area is how this starts, but it can quickly go to either itching or burning. There can be both, but generally it will be one or the other.

Following these signs will be redness of the area and once again, one of two things can happen. Some people will develop one large blister while others may have several tiny blisters packed into one area.

Causes

The many causes of cold sore on lips vary with the contact of each person. Stress is the most common cause of outbreaks and this can be from either emotional or physical stress. Since fever is a large part of this particular condition, too much sun exposure can be another leading factor.

Not having a well-balanced diet is another possibility and is possibly a major contributing factor in most cases. Even certain dental procedures can stretch the lip too much, causing the cold sores to form.

Many illnesses such as a cold or fever, will spur the outbreak and in those that have weak immune systems, the condition could have severe effects. One idea that you may not be aware of is that there are even times when these outbreaks occur and yet there will be no logical reason as to why they begin.