Cold Sores
Cold Sores are painful blisters which become ulcers, commonly on the lips. They are caused by the Herpes Simplex virus which, like other herpes viruses, we've got for good once we've got it. This virus enters the body and crawls down a nerve to live in the nerve root. Years later it crawls back down the same nerve and erupts at the end. That's why it affects the lips - because we caught it when we were kissed by someone who'd got one on their lips. If you've got a cold sore don't kiss anyone till it's gone. We often know when the cold sore is going to appear because we feel the nerve tingling as the virus crawls down it, which gives time to try and prevent it by using topical anti-viral creams.
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