The first time you notice signs of genital herpes, it's pretty scary. You aren't sure what's causing lesions on your genital or rectal area. And you may not know what they really are. The first time you have an outbreak is commonly referred to as the initial outbreak.
If you've been diagnosed with genital herpes and have been treating it for a while, you may remember that your first outbreak was the most severe. And it may have even lasted anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks.
The Initial Outbreak: What You Need To Know
During the initial outbreak, you may experience the following signs and symptoms: a second crop of lesions or flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen glands. Keep in mind, most people with HSV-2 don't have noticeable lesions, or they may only have mild symptoms. For those people, it's possible that they don't even notice the lesions, or that they mistake them for insect bites or another skin condition.
Your First Year With Genital Herpes
During the first year of living with genital herpes, there is some bad news: you may experience 4 to 5 outbreaks (also referred to as symptomatic recurrences). But over time and with proper treatment, the outbreaks usually occur less often.
The Signs And Symptoms Of An Outbreak
Everyone is different and symptoms of an outbreak vary too. For many people, first there's pain and itching, and eventually a lesion develops on the skin. Lesions may look like a blister or appear as a red spot, small pimple or ingrown hair. Once the lesion breaks open, it becomes an ulcer. The ulcer oozes or bleeds and then scabs, until it finally heals. The lesions usually appear on the buttocks, thighs, or vaginal area.
I'm A Guy. I Don't Need To Worry About Genital Herpes—Do I?
Yes, you do. While it's true there are fewer men than women in the U.S. who are infected with genital herpes, it doesn't mean you're off the hook. In fact, 1 out of 8 men has genital herpes. For men, the lesions usually appear on the penis, scrotum, buttocks, anus, and/or thighs.
It's very important to seek treatment by a health care professional at the first sign of an outbreak. So if you think you might have genital herpes, make an appointment with your doctor right away.
Keep in mind, there is no cure for genital herpes, but there are a variety of treatment options available.