Herpes Simplex

After clearing, herpes simplex sores can return. When the sores return, the outbreak tends to be milder than the first outbreak.

Diagnosis and Treatment

There are things you can do at home to help manage herpes sores.

The following can help:

Apply medicine that you can buy without a prescription, such as benzocaine and L-lysine, to the blisters.
Put ice on the blisters.
Avoid things that could trigger another outbreak, such as stress and getting a sunburn.

Management

If you have tingling, burning, itching, or tenderness where you had a herpes sore, keep that area of your body away from others.

You can prevent spreading the sores to other parts of your body by:

If you do not have sores or symptoms, use a latex condom to lower the risk of spreading the virus. You should know that even with a condom, it is possible to spread the virus if it lies on nearby skin that the condom does not cover.
If you are pregnant tell your doctor if you or your partner has genital herpes. You may need to take medicine at the end of your pregnancy to prevent passing the virus to your baby.