What triggers cold sores?
Most of the time the outbreaks seem to have a life of their own and
there is no one factor that appears to have initiated or caused the
outbreak. There are a number of factors that are known to cause an
outbreak of herpes labialis including:
- Emotional and physical stress may alter or lower the immune system allowing the virus to awaken or reactivate.
- Colds or other upper respiratory tract infection may also reactivate the virus. These cold sores are often called fever blisters.
- Sun (including tanning beds)or wind exposure without protection, especially on the lips, may reduce the immune activity in the skin leading to a recurrence of cold sores.
- Hormone changes such as those seen during menstruation
- Local trauma or injury to the skin around the lips including dry cracked lips and injury to the skin following cosmetic surgery, chemical peels or laser therapy
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