Herpes concern

Hi there,
About six days after my girlfriend performed oral sex on me, she developed a red scab on her lower lip that has stayed there for like four days. It looks nothing like a cold sore.
I keep looking at it and getting concerned perhaps she got something from me, though she is convinced the episodes are unrelated.
I have had red scab-like lesions on my penis three times in the past year - though not at the time she was with me - but have been tested three times for herpes (two swabs and a herpes blood test eight weeks after the lesions first appeared) and all three tests came back negative. I went to an STD clinic and the doctor there told me I need to stop worrying after the third incident, saying it is not herpes after all the tests.
My girlfriend is not worried, thinks she may have just bit her lip hard in her sleep or something, but I'm concerned.
Is this just normal for scabs to just appear on the lower lip, or is it worrisome?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Based on what you've told me, it sounds as though she bit her lip.  Even if it were a herpes cold sore, it couldn't be from this particular episode with you, because a small scab would represent recurrent-type herpes, meaning that the virus had been there for a long time.  If she got it from this episode, she'd have high fever, swollen glands, etc.  But again, I don't think she has it.  She should apply vaseline or the equivalent and see a doctor if she still has concerns.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff