STD HERPES: HOW LONG DO SYMPTOMS LAST?
First infections generally take longer to heal than recurrences, for both oral and genital herpes. First outbreaks with herpes in the genital area, whether type 1 or type 2, last about ten to fourteen days on average, although they can last for as long as six weeks if not treated. The outbreak may last even longer if a person is taking oral steroids for other medical conditions or is mistakenly applying topical steroids in efforts to treat the sores. It is not uncommon for new lesions to erupt within a few days of each other during first infections. Treatment with oral antiviral medications will shorten both the first episode and recurrent infections (see the section on treatment).
The first symptoms that a person may recognize may actually be a recurrent outbreak from a prior infection; recurrent outbreaks usually last about five to seven days. As noted earlier, some people with herpes are unaware of it when they first become infected and only notice symptoms later, during a recurrence.
The symptoms that are caused by type 1 or type 2 herpes in the oral or genital area are exactly the same. The only difference is that type 2 herpes tends to recur less frequently than type 1 in the oral area, and type 1 tends to recur less frequently than type 2 in the genital area.
The bottom line for most people is that herpes is simply an occasional physical annoyance that can be treated with medication. For many people, herpes doesn’t even cause symptoms. Herpes doesn’t cause cancer (we used to worry about herpes putting women at risk for cervical cancer, but this does not appear to be the case), and in otherwise healthy individuals it doesn’t spread to other areas of the body. It is often the emotional issues that are harder to deal with, as discussed later.
*263\213\8*
RelatedPosts:
Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health