STD Question

Hello Dr. Hansfield,

I have several questions about STDs?

1) I have adult acne. Recently I had a pimple looking bump above my upper left lip. It was a good size and it looked liked it was right next to my lip. It nevered blistered and went down in four to five days. The following week, I got another pimple just below my right bottom lip. This one was right below the lip. It got a little white head on it and I popped it (with pus and a little bit of blood).

I took your advise from this forum and got a herpe select blood test for HSV 1 and 2 (6 months past last possible exposure). It was negative on both (my lab actually sent my lab work to be done at Focus). Can I safely say that the test are correct and that they are just pimples? Can you get pimples next to the lip?

2) Can you get any STDs from deep kissing (no tonsil hockey, but our tongues touched a few times) someone that is at high risk of an STD? I have been getting canker sores, since my exposure. However, I believe it's due to the stress of my exposure. I tested neg for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hiv, and syphilis.

Thank you for your time!! Have a happy new year.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Yes, you can rely on the negative HerpeSelect blood tests to be sure you don't have HSV-1 or -2.  Your symptoms don't sound like oral herpes in any case--although admittedly it can be difficult to sort out in someone with acne around the lips.  But the blood test result is reassuring.

Traditional STDs are transmitted very rarely by kissing.  In the pre-antibiotic era, syphilis sometimes was transmitted orally; and of course if someone had sexually acquired oral herpes, s/he could transmit it by kissing.  But the answer is a clear "no" for gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, etc.  Kissing of course risks several non-STD infections, but not STDs themselves.

The cause of canker sores isn't known.  I don't believe any strong data support stress, but I don't follow that research literature.  In any case, canker sores rarely if ever are due to STDs per se.

Happy New Year to you as well--  HHH, MD

[pandora9048]

You tested negative for every (well, almost every) std known to man.  Stop worrying! and stop picking your pimples.  That can't be good.