When she woke up the next morning and her lip still felt strange, she stumbled into her mom's room. On the way, Johanna caught a quick look at herself in the hallway mirror and yelled out loud. She didn't have a cold. Keep reading to learn more about what cold sores are, why kids get them, and how kids can cope with them. A cold sore is a small blister that is reddish or purple.
Cold sores can appear one at a time or in little bunches, and they are sometimes filled with fluid.
Cold sores aren't the same as canker sores, which are small white sores that are always found inside the mouth. Herpes is one of the most common viral infections in the world. The fancy name for the specific virus that causes cold sores is herpes simplex. The place where the cold sores appear depends on which type a person has. If a person has HSV-1, the sores usually will be in or around the mouth.