Herpes on the lips, scientifically known as oral herpes or cold sores, occurs due to an infection which is caused by herpes simplex virus. Besides the lips, other areas that may get affected because of this infection are mouth, tongue, insides of the cheeks and gums. Herpes simplex virus spreads in humans through infected saliva, skin or the mucous membranes. Here are the causes and symptoms, followed by the treatment for the same.
Causes
This condition is caused by two viruses namely, herpes simplex virus, type 1 or herpes-1, and herpes simplex virus, type 2 or herpes-2. Almost eighty percent of the cases of oral herpes are caused by herpes-1 virus. The remaining cases are caused by the herpes-2 virus.
Symptoms
The symptoms take anywhere from two to twelve days after the infection by the virus, to present themselves. Here are the commonly observed symptoms.
- The symptoms such as fever, fatigue, body ache last for about three weeks. They may continue even after the infection has died down.
- Before the sores actually appear on the skin, there is a kind of burning sensation felt on the skin area. It is followed by skin itching and then finally the sore appears.
- The sores which appear as a result of herpes are small gray ulcers which have a red base. The sores have a tendency to become crusty and dry, a few days after appearing.
- Sores on the lips spread to the chin and the neck area too. There is swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck, which can make swallowing of food very difficult.
- There is swelling in the gums, which makes the process of chewing difficult.
The doctor takes a sample of the sore to identify the virus that has caused the infection and recommends the treatment accordingly.
In order to relieve the painful symptoms associated with oral herpes, a topical anesthetic is generally prescribed by the doctors. To relieve the associated body pain and fever, certain medication such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, may also be recommended. There are certain oral medication too for treating oral herpes, but they are meant only for infants or people with a weak immune system.
Herpes on the lips, gums, around the mouth and neck can make eating and drinking food quite difficult, so dehydration can occur in the body. In order to replenish the lost fluids of the body, patients are recommended to drink lots of water and juices.
A home remedy to cure this is to apply ice packs on the sore. The cool temperature of the ice helps in making the virus dormant and hence, cures the sore on the lip. Another home remedy is to apply wet tea bags on them after every few hours.
The symptoms of oral herpes generally clear out in about three weeks. Along with the above mentioned treatment and natural cures, the patients are forbidden to touch their saliva, skin which has sores and mucous. It is not a very serious condition in most cases, but if the infection spreads to other organs of the body, it can prove to be fatal.
