Acne or Oral Herpes OB?

[ClementineK]

Hi all,

I've had adult acne for about the last year (thanks, grad school), and occasionally I get little zits on my lip. They don't tingle or hurt any more then zits do on the rest of my face, so I've never given them a second thought. For the record they don't turn into open ulcers (for lack of a better word), so I've never thought they were cold sores.

 

But I'm just coming off my second genital outbreak, and I notice a spot on my lip that hurts. I does feel just like the other zits I tend to get, but I was wondering if it could be oral H. It hurts a little (doesn't tingle), but it's actually IN my lip (as opposed to right on the outside as they usually tend to be). Is it possible that this is an oral outbreak or am I just being paranoid?

[WCSDancer2010]

@ClementineK

 

To be honest, there's no way to tell without a swab or blood test but it's entirely possible that you have had HSV1 since childhood and not known it. You can ask your parents if you ever had cold sores... if they say yes, then I would assume it is and treat it as such as far as kissing and oral sex until it clears up. About 60% of young people have HSV1 oral by the time they are young adults and most don't know it.

 

If you want to know for sure, get a blood test - that way you know your risks as far as oral sex and kissing go, and if you are + you can take precautions if you think you are having an OB.

 

 

[ClementineK]

Well, I have HSV-1 genitally so a blood test won't tell me anything unfortunately. I never had cold sores as a child, but I did have canker sores (inside my mouth) ALL the time. I'm pretty sure those aren't the same thing though, correct?

[WCSDancer2010]

Correct - canker sores are a kind of ulcer... with multiple causes but it's not Herpes