Herpes is a term that is used in general to describe both genital and oral herpes (also commonly referred to as labialis). Despite the fact that both these conditions are referred to using the same name in general conversations and they have certain similarities, each of these types occurs as result of a different herpes simplex virus (HSV). Type-1 Herpes or HSV-1 is associated with the herpes infection that occurs in the form of lesions in or around the mouth and is also referred to commonly as cold sores. This can also cause genital sores. On the other hand, type-2 Herpes or HSV-2 is exclusively responsible only for the genital sores. Whichever the type of sore, the main function of this herpes virus is to penetrate through the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of the skin, and end up causing lesions. Since these are open lesions they are capable of spreading through skin contact and can easily recur as well. The only way to manage the manifestation of herpes is through antiviral therapy, and there is no absolute cure for this.
Despite the fact that herpes sores can be profoundly visible, there are people who exhibit absolutely no symptoms despite having the infection. This is because they do not have any noticeable break to know or be aware of the fact that they have herpes.
Here are a few points that differentiate type 1 and type 2 herpes:
- Type 1 herpes
This more commonly occurs in the mouth and can affect the lips or the inner wall linings. This usually spreads as a result of sharing saliva through food and cups or by kissing. Before the sores can actually occur, an individual can easily experience a form of pain, burning, or itching sensation. The lesions appear as though slightly raised have reddish areas to blisters that look crusted. This type of herpes is well known to be the cause for close to half of the case of genital herpes due to oral sex practices. - Type 2 herpes
This type is known to exclusively affect only the genital area and spreads as a result of sexual contact. One other common way of spreading, particularly in children, is during childbirth from the mother. In this type of herpes, there would be no distinct symptoms that occur prior to the breakout, and the lesions for genital herpes usually appear red, filled with fluid, and are crusty. The occurrence of outbreaks tends to decrease with the progress of time.
Symptoms of herpes
Both types of herpes tend to have the same visual outlook but differ only on certain aspects. The symptoms predominantly occur only in type 1 and not much before the outbreak in type 2. It can easily take about 26 days for the herpes sores to manifest themselves from the day of first exposure to the virus. However, they are very different from the canker sores because these canker sores tend to exhibit a clear whitish area in the middle as opposed to the herpes sores that have a clearer fluid collection within the blister.
