Dr. Linda Jando, BSc., MD, CCFP, Family Physician,

Herpes Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Herpes is a very common sexually transmitted infection. It usually presents either in the genital region or around the mouth, known as cold sores.

Most people that have herpes don’t know they have herpes, and transmission of this infection can even occur where people have no symptoms.

Common symptoms of herpes include tingling at the site where a lesion might start to appear a few hours before the lesion appears on the skin, and the lesion looks like a water blister, and eventually the water blister will pop, leaving behind a shallow ulcer on the skin.

You may have one lesion or, more typically, they present in groups of, of skin lesions. These lesions are very painful as they heal, and they can take days to weeks to completely resolve.

If you think you might have, may have herpes or have questions, please contact your family physician. They will talk to you and they may need to do an examination, if you have any rashes. They may do a viral swab to help with the diagnosis.

Once you have herpes, it is unfortunately not curable, but there are treatment options for you. There are medications that stop the, the viral replication. It is best to use these medications when the burning underneath the skin sensation happens prior to the blisters forming or the ulcers showing up.

There is a preventative technique of taking these sorts of medications where you take a pill every day, which does show to decrease the number of outbreaks that you have, as well as it reduces the risk of you transmitting it to your partner.

If you think you may have herpes or have questions, please contact your family doctor.

Presenter: Dr. Linda Jando, Family Doctor, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Family Doctor