Aa
Newly Diagnosed Oral HSV-1 Precautions
Dear Ms. Terri,
I have just being diagnosed with oral HSV-1 (nasty primary outbreak in the lips, fever, swollen neck nodes and negative HSV-1 IgG). The doctor said that I can have both symptomatic recurrences since the virus stays in the trigeminal ganglion and I can have viral shedding. He also said to be very careful with autoinoculation with my genitals and my eyes. I am lost about this and I tried asking my doctor about some doubts I have but he did not know.
1) I need to wash my face due to seborreic dermatitis and apply several creams. Do I need to take any precautions? How about when I am asymptomatically shedding? I am afraid of touching my mouth and accidentally touching my forehead or near my eyes.
2) What about shaving? I have been scared to shave since the blisters appeared. What about shaving when shedding asymptomatically?
3) I have a 2 year old baby and I am afraid of kissing him in the face when I don't have sore or of him touching my face. Is my asymptomatic shedding of any danger to him? Can I kiss him without fear of tranferring the virus to him? I normally give him a lot of kisses in the forehead and cheeks.
4) Where would I shedd the virus from? Do i need to take any precaution about infecting my eyes when I am sheeding the virus asymptomatically while I am developing antibodies?
Thank you very much for your help.
I have just being diagnosed with oral HSV-1 (nasty primary outbreak in the lips, fever, swollen neck nodes and negative HSV-1 IgG). The doctor said that I can have both symptomatic recurrences since the virus stays in the trigeminal ganglion and I can have viral shedding. He also said to be very careful with autoinoculation with my genitals and my eyes. I am lost about this and I tried asking my doctor about some doubts I have but he did not know.
1) I need to wash my face due to seborreic dermatitis and apply several creams. Do I need to take any precautions? How about when I am asymptomatically shedding? I am afraid of touching my mouth and accidentally touching my forehead or near my eyes.
2) What about shaving? I have been scared to shave since the blisters appeared. What about shaving when shedding asymptomatically?
3) I have a 2 year old baby and I am afraid of kissing him in the face when I don't have sore or of him touching my face. Is my asymptomatic shedding of any danger to him? Can I kiss him without fear of tranferring the virus to him? I normally give him a lot of kisses in the forehead and cheeks.
4) Where would I shedd the virus from? Do i need to take any precaution about infecting my eyes when I am sheeding the virus asymptomatically while I am developing antibodies?
Thank you very much for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1. I think that is pretty unlikely, both because of viral load and because you are so aware of this.
2. I think the hand washing is important after you touch your mouth. I would try not to be too obsessive about this.
3. The virus is shed less from the lips and not from the cheek. Yes, the nerve group feeds the whole face, but generally, the skin on the face is thick enough that you don't need to worry about shedding except from the inner lips, the inner nares and inside the mouth.
Terri
2. I think the hand washing is important after you touch your mouth. I would try not to be too obsessive about this.
3. The virus is shed less from the lips and not from the cheek. Yes, the nerve group feeds the whole face, but generally, the skin on the face is thick enough that you don't need to worry about shedding except from the inner lips, the inner nares and inside the mouth.
Terri
Dear Ms. Terri,
Thank you very much for your help. You clarified a lot about this and i am feeling less anxious. One last question about clarification:
1) During the first four months, is there any danger that I might spread the virus to any other part of my body if I touch my mouth (When I don't have a sore) and touch other part of my body due to asymptomatic shedding?
2) Should I wash my hands before going to the restroom even when I don't have a sore during the first 4 month? I always wash after but not ussualy before. I was confuse about what you said of using good hand washing hygiene during the first 4 months.
3) Is the virus shed from the lips too? Cheek? My doctor comented about a dermatome or TG ganglion, but when I look it up online it shows all the face.
I did not know anything before and I guess I was sort of Happy go lucky. Thanks agains for your help.
Thank you very much for your help. You clarified a lot about this and i am feeling less anxious. One last question about clarification:
1) During the first four months, is there any danger that I might spread the virus to any other part of my body if I touch my mouth (When I don't have a sore) and touch other part of my body due to asymptomatic shedding?
2) Should I wash my hands before going to the restroom even when I don't have a sore during the first 4 month? I always wash after but not ussualy before. I was confuse about what you said of using good hand washing hygiene during the first 4 months.
3) Is the virus shed from the lips too? Cheek? My doctor comented about a dermatome or TG ganglion, but when I look it up online it shows all the face.
I did not know anything before and I guess I was sort of Happy go lucky. Thanks agains for your help.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1. Once the initial outbreak is past, I think you can wash your case or normal. I wouldn't worry about transmitting virus around your face when you are not symptomatic. The truth is, the virus lives in the trigeminal nerve group and that nerve group supplies the entire face, including the eyes. The virus can travel along any of those nerves to get to the surface of the skin.
I wouldn't worry about the genital area after the first four months of having herpes. Your body will mount an immune response that will make getting infected at a new area on your body very unlikely. I would pay attention to good handwashing during the first four months of infection.
In terms of your baby, I would not kiss him with a cold sore. However, I wouldn't hesitate to kiss him when you don't have a cold sore. Though virus can be given off with no symptoms, the kind of kiss you would give a child is very unlikely to transmit virus
2. shaving is fine at any time
Virus is shed from the oral cavity. Again, as to the eyes, there is really not much you can do since the virus is living on those nerves. If you develop eye symptoms, I would go to see your health care provider.
let me know if you have other questions.
Terri
I wouldn't worry about the genital area after the first four months of having herpes. Your body will mount an immune response that will make getting infected at a new area on your body very unlikely. I would pay attention to good handwashing during the first four months of infection.
In terms of your baby, I would not kiss him with a cold sore. However, I wouldn't hesitate to kiss him when you don't have a cold sore. Though virus can be given off with no symptoms, the kind of kiss you would give a child is very unlikely to transmit virus
2. shaving is fine at any time
Virus is shed from the oral cavity. Again, as to the eyes, there is really not much you can do since the virus is living on those nerves. If you develop eye symptoms, I would go to see your health care provider.
let me know if you have other questions.
Terri
You are reading content posted in the Herpes Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
