Let’s just start off by laying out the facts. Cold sores are very much contagious. In fact they are highly contagious. Cold sores are actually caused by the herpes virus. Viruses by nature are trying to spread as much as possible from one person to another in order to survive. Shockingly, it’s believed that one out of eight people is currently infected with herpes. Most of these infections are thought to have occurred early in life when kids are around a lot of potential viruses and don’t have many immunities built up in their bodies.
Sadly, a person who is infected with herpes can spread the virus to others for the rest of their life. There are times however when someone is more likely to spread the virus to others. It’s been shown that a cold sore is at its most contagious stage when there is an active lesion in the weeping stage. Basically, all that liquid that seeps from your cold sore is virtually overflowing with the herpes virus. What makes it even worse is that you can spread the virus to others as well as yourself.
You can spread the herpes virus on yourself? The answer is yes. While you may only have herpes lesions on one area of your body, the liquid can cause you to start having herpes outbreaks on other parts of your body as well. The most common areas to be infected are the mouth, eyes, and genitals. It’s very easy for this to happen as well. Cold sores have a “tingling” feeling on your face so by nature it is very easy to brush or scratch against them. After doing this you may accidentally rub your eye or use the bathroom before washing your hands. Whenever you have the seeping liquid of a cold sore on your hand, you are in essence a walking virus ready to spread it to anything you touch.
Another misconception is that cold sores are only contagious at certain points of the outbreak. The truth is a cold sore lesion is contagious in every single stage. It can even last up to a full three weeks time as well. You can usually feel a sore coming on by an uncomfortable feeling for a couple days on certain spots of your face. Usually in about one or two days a small bump will finally appear. That bump will eventually start weeping and then scab over before starting to retreat. So if anyone you know has a cold sore it is important that you don’t kiss them or share any personal products with them. By sharing a toothbrush or even a razor you can very easily infect yourself with the herpes virus.
Sadly, another misconception about herpes is that it is only contagious during an outbreak. There are other times when herpes can be spread. The virus can actually be spread a full two weeks before and after any outbreak you have. It can also be shedding and be contagious even when you may not have an outbreak. Honestly, it is near impossible to even know if you are contagious during times like that.
Once a person has become infected with the herpes virus they will have the infection for life. There is yet to be a cure for herpes that completely removes it from your system. There are a number of natural methods that can be performed to completely stop any outbreaks from occurring. If you follow the link at the bottom of this article you can see the number one recommended book on the subject.
In between any outbreak you may have the virus will retreat in your body right along the nerves. It then will sit there dormant and wait for anything to trigger it to start reproducing. Once the reproduction has begun the virus begins to exit your body from all your bodily fluids. This stage is known as shedding the virus. During this stage you won’t be able to see any indication that the virus is active, but you can easily spread the virus to others without even knowing it.
Because of this families will often all become infected with herpes because the spreading process is just so easy. Anyone who is in personal contact with someone who has herpes can easily pick up the virus from them and not even know they have it. The initial sickness can often slightly mimic the flu bug without there being any open sores. Some people naturally have more outbreaks than others. Some will rarely have outbreaks. Depending on how you body functions there can be several triggers that can seem to set off an outbreak. Common triggers in most people are stress, eating certain foods or liquids, and over exposure to the sun.
So how can we know when cold sores are contagious? The answer is not that well. When someone has an outward sore on their face you can know that they will be highly contagious until the sore heals and at least two weeks after it has completely healed. If someone has ever had a cold sore then they are infected and can spread the virus for the rest of their lives.