Try remembering back to when you kids were young. Do you recall putting cream on their mouth sores or giving them medicine? Probably not. Most cases occur before the age of 7, clear up by themselves, and only manifest in 1 or 2 mouth sores if any at all.

Cold sores are not a pretty sight. People often get embarrassed by the appearance of blisters on their face and mouth area, but the simple fact is that cold sores are SO COMMON. The only difference is that a lot of people with the very same virus you have don’t get the symptoms, or they are so slight, they don’t even notice. This can be a problem because if you don’t know that you have the virus, you can transmit it to others by sharing a drink or chapstick. (Remind your children that they shouldn’t be sharing drinks, utensils or lip balm with other people anyway).

The virus lives in about 80% of the population and just 1/3 of those people have recurrent outbreaks of cold sores. For individuals who are aware of their cold sores, knowing how to best treat them and how to recognize and avoid triggers of the blisters is necessary. There is help available – you don’t have to live with the discomfort that fever blisters often entail. Learn what cold sores look like, their warning signs, causes, and how to treat them.