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Have an outbreak of blisters or sores on your lip? I am assuming you do since you clicked on a website entitled "what are fever blisters." This post will go into what fever blisters are, symptoms of the infection, possible causes of how you obtained it, and the last section of this article will go into how to treat these infections so you can rid your lip of this unsightly "creature."

WHAT ARE FEVER BLISTERS?

Fever blisters are essentially an outbreak of sores that cause an infection of the lip. Technically fever blisters are forms of the herpes simplex virus, no not that kind of herpes, the kind of herpes that forms on your lip area. How long do fever blisters last? Well that can depend, but usually symptoms of the infection will heal within 2-3 weeks. Keep in mind though once you obtain a fever blister or cold sore the likelihood of getting the infection in the same part of your lip at a later date increases greatly, which is why you want to read our treatment section of this article thoroughly.

SYMPTOMS OF FEVER BLISTERS

So you probably already have a fever blister or know someone who does, right? There were probably symptoms pre-cold sore that were present and if treated properly that outbreak may have never reached skin level. Here are some tell tale signs that a fever blister is forming and how to be able to identify its formation. Typically the main symptom of fever blisters is the inflammation of the cheek and or gums. After this inflammation forms this is when "canker sores" then form inside the mouth. After those canker sores form, and if the proper treatment is not rendered it is just a matter of time before the fever blister makes its way to your skin. Another symptom of the fever blister that is most common along with the canker sore is a fever and/or a sore throat. Usually at this point is when people seek medical treatment, but by then the infection has most likely already formed and the doctor will prescribe you with medicine.

CAUSES OF FEVER BLISTERS

So, how did you get that darn fever blister anyway? While we could never know how you were specifically infected we can give you some ideas of how it might have happened. The most common cause of fever blisters involves an individual's mouth coming in contact with the version of herpes simplex that causes fever blisters. Once that herpes simplex strain has entered your body it can "activate" on your lip to cause the blister. Keep in mind a fever blister will only form on 1/3 of the people who are infected with the strain of herpes. Lucky you! While the causes of fever blisters are not that high in number it is a virus that can happen again and again if you do not treat it properly.

TREATMENT OF FEVER BLISTERS

The one good thing about fever blisters is that it is a relatively common virus so the treatment of fever blisters is well defined and proven. The most common treatment is an alcohol based application called Docosanol. You simply apply the ointment to the sore directly to treat your fever blister. Due to its simple nature the odds of your body resisting this type of treatment is very low. There are treatments that can be taken in pill form and while they may clear the virus a couple days earlier the price increase for the pills is noticeable enough that most people usually go with the ointment. So whether it is ointment or pills you choose as treatment for your fever blister you can be optimistic that either will work just fine.

PREVENTION OF FEVER BLISTERS

If you have not yet contracted the virus the best way to keep from getting fever blisters is to avoid touching someone near or on the outbreak of the virus they currently have. In other words, avoid direct contact with someone else's fever blister! If you have already obtained the virus you can prevent its spreading by washing your hands more than usual and not sharing food or any other items that have touched the area of your fever blister. When it comes down to it the prevention of fever blisters more boils down to common sense more than anything.