Will I get herpes?

Hi,
I made out with a girl this past weekend, only to find out that the red spot on her lip was a healing cold sore.  It was past the stage of scabs and just a dry red spot.  Ive read it can still be passed at this stage.  How likely is that?  I always thought the most dangerous time was when it was weeping or a scab.
Thanks!

[Bharat Chawda, MD]

Dear D618,

Thank you for posting the query,

Cold sore or herpes labialis is transmitted by direct skin to skin touch (kissing) or via objects like cup,tooth brush,lipsticks,lip balm etc.

You are absolutely right that the virus can be transmitted even through the scab and it is said that one should wait till the scab falls down. It’s also  true that there is always more chance of transmission in the early stage when one sees a blister or a vesicle. In the literature it has not been mentioned about what are the chances (in terms of percentage) of transmission through the scab. So it would be difficult for me to tell you the probability of getting the infection. This would be something to wait and watch. The incubation period of herpes is 2 to 12 days. So if you don't get any lesions or symptoms by that time probably you are safe. Usually it is difficult to prevent the infection when one has got a contact, but probably you can take some precautionary measures to prevent another outbreak. This can be done by strengthening ones immunity ,avoiding stress, taking good sleep ,having a healthy lifestyle etc.

I wish and hope that you escape the infection .

Hope I have answered your query. Should you have additional concerns regarding this issue I would be happy to address them.

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Best Regards,
Dr. Bharat Chawda.