CMichelle

Hi there! First of all, sorry for asking questions that have probably been asked and answered a million times. I'm not too familiar with the forums or navigating them yet. Please feel free to link me if there is a place that already has these answers. Thanks! :) So, I recently started seeing a guy who I was swiftly, strongly attracted to, and on our first date, I got a little carried away and just kissed him. He pulled back a bit and disclosed to me that he had HSV1. I was a little freaked at first, but did my research and decided that an occasional skin condition wasn't worth throwing away some seriously amazing potential in him. I'm really glad I didn't--he's incredible and I can see us being very happy together longterm. So, I'm pretty comfortable with the idea that I'm exposing myself to this and may likely contract it....is that strange? That I'm okay with willingly "volunteering" to catch a disease? *shrug* Anyway. I have a few questions. 1) About a week after I first kissed him (and after several subsequent makeout sessions), I broke out in extremely chapped, itchy lips. They crack at the corners and I'm noticing now what looks like a couple tiny pimples around the corner edges. Really, barely noticeable visually, but uncomfortable. I don't want to assume anything--it happened the same weekend I got a sunburn, so I figured at first my lips just got burned with the rest of me. But could that be the first signs of a new infection? 2) How does oral sex work with HSV1? Male to female. He asked if I wanted to use protection and it seems kind of silly, really...I've already exposed myself via kissing and intercourse, so him going down on me without a dental dam seems like a minor concern as far as transmission goes, but I'm not sure exactly how that works or if there's any chance of....I don't know--something else transforming? We haven't crossed that particular bridge yet, so I'd like more information before I commit to a preference. Anything I should know? Thanks so much! I appreciate you taking the time to educate me. :) Cheers and happy Sunday!