Oral herpes is a condition which, as the name itself suggests, appears on the surface of one's mouth. This health problem takes place due to the herpes virus, attacking the body. In return, the body's immune system triggers the symptoms of this condition.
There are many ways through which you can end up suffering from oral herpes. However, there are also specific ways of protecting yourself from this virus and its outbreaks. For information on both of these subjects, read the following lines carefully.
Problem with Skin Care
One of the worst facts related to oral herpes is that this condition is contagious. Basically, if you are not careful enough, you can transfer the virus onto other people, potentially contributing to a wide-range outbreaks.
Once a person has already suffered from the symptoms of the virus, he/she develops antibodies necessary to keep him/herself safe in the future. In fact, about 70 to 90% of people are more or less immune to the harmful effects of herpes. They carry the virus without being affected by it further.
During the first and possibly later attacks, herpes is likely to lead to fevers and other symptoms resembling flu. Yet, once the body becomes more resistant to the virus, the recurrences of the outbreak become much less frequent.
Keep in mind that the stress levels you are enduring a couple of weeks before the exposure to herpes may increase your susceptibility to the outbreak.
In some situations, oral herpes can even evolve into genital herpes, if the problem is not timely treated. Herpes, once it breaks out, leads to pain and discomfort, making one's life much harder to handle.
Lack of proper skin care can only make matters worse. So, touching the place of breakout of oral herpes should be avoided, especially if your hands are dirty. When oral herpes is triggered by a special type of herpes called herpes zoster, the condition is called shingles. This virus stays hidden in the nerves after it initially affects a person. Thus, it never disappears. Rather, it waits for suitable conditions for striking the body again, facing the response of the immune system and resulting in yet another outbreak.
Thus, anything that makes us more vulnerable will increase the chances of oral herpes and other types of herpes too. Naturally, unprotected sex and lack of proper genital and personal hygiene can easily lead to the development of genital herpes, a condition which is very difficult to be treated.
How To Treat Oral Herpes
As far as medical interventions against herpes outbreaks are concerned, there are a few solutions which can keep this problem under control. Usually, analgesics, lotions or other antiviral topical medications can shorten the presence of an outbreak significantly. Moreover, drugs like Acyclovir can, besides reducing the time span of the outbreak, increase your immunity to further outbreaks. However, this drug is used as a last resort.
In recent times, there are news about herpes vaccines being developed. Thus, in days to come, we will be capable of avoiding this virus completely and stay safe from its outbreaks through timely vaccination.
Again, do not forget that your emotional health and balance plays a great role in your susceptibility to herpes outbreaks. In fact, in about 85 to 87% of cases, stress is the main culprit behind recurrent herpes symptoms, according to various medical researchers.
People who develop genital herpes usually keep this condition as a secret due to the fact that they are ashamed. However, this is not a good step to take since it can lead to worsening of the problem, resulting in various other health problems, including the onset of oral herpes.
Speaking of the relationship between herpes outbreaks and stress, a clinical study done on a fifty-six-year-old man have shown that even hypnosis can be used as a form of treatment. Basically, the patient had tried drug treatments before trying hypnosis. Yet, this method proved futile and the pain he was feeling due to herpes zoster was unbearable. Fortunately, through hypnosis he managed to learn how to control his pain and after two sessions he overcame the herpes symptoms. On the other hand, some people who failed to go through with the whole hypnotherapy failed to find treatment too.
Either way, if herpes starts bothering you and you experience flu-like symptoms with the appearance of redness and blistering on the surface of your mouth, seek medical assistance. Do not touch the affected area with your hands or any dirty object since you might only make the matter worse, possibly spreading the infection onto other people. Proper mouth care is crucial in order to stay safe from herpes outbreaks.
All in all, oral herpes can appear due to many reasons and it can be dealt with in many ways. Depending on the outbreak you are facing, choose the methods which are the best for you. Nevertheless, do not forget that you can always consult with your doctor, this being a recommended step to take.
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