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Written by Patricia Conley
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Herpes Phases While the process described provides a basic overview of what happens when someone has vaginal herpes or penal herpes, it is not complete. The outbreak happens in several phases. The outbreak itself will last about two weeks. During the first phase of an outbreak, the skin is inflamed and sometimes swollen. For the individual, the area is red, uncomfortable and often is itchy. This area then forms blisters. Often, they are very small but nearly always have a fluid within them. They look like bumps on the skin. From this point, the blisters will break open, causing a painful, ulcerated area. After being broken open, the ulcers on the skin will dry out over a few days. Once dry, they will scab over.
Your body’s immune system works to heal the skin in the area and it usually returns to its normal appearance. The process then starts over when the next outbreak happens, although there can be a varied amount of time in between outbreaks.
When an individual has been infected with the HSV virus, they will generally have their first outbreak within the first 30 days after the infection. It is very rare, but is possible for an individual to become infected with the HSV virus and to never have an outbreak. The first year following the infection is the most likely and frequent time for outbreaks to happen.
When Do Outbreaks Happen? There are many things that can stimulate outbreaks to become more frequent than other times. For example, vagina herpes outbreaks can be brought on by stress or when you simply do not take care of your body and it becomes run down. What’s more, herpes outbreaks can occur for many other reasons including becoming seriously ill, not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, and even are brought on by menstruation. Drugs and alcohol use can cause herpes outbreaks to happen more often, too. Any time that the body becomes vulnerable in that its immune system is working to care for the body or you do not provide the right amount of rest and nourishment to your body, outbreaks become more frequent.
In some cases, vaginal herpes or penal herpes can happen because of emotional stresses, too. For example, if you are overworked, facing traumatic experiences or are having relationship problems, outbreaks are more likely to happen. |
