Since genital blisters or lesions can be signs of other diseases, it is important to have a clinician confirm a herpes infection. The provider may swab active lesions in an attempt to obtain a sample of virus. Scarring is very rare. Although the active phase of herpes is over when the visible signs have disappeared, the virus remains in the body. Later outbreaks occur when the latent virus reactivates and travels from the nerve cells to the genital area.
Individuals can vary considerably in the frequency of their recurrences.
Outbreaks may be predictable and regular or very irregular and infrequent. Recurrences typically appear in the same site as the initial outbreak. Recurrences are generally shorter, lasting between 7 to 10 days, and less severe than initial outbreaks. Emotional stress, sexual friction, physical fatigue, and hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle are among the events which may trigger the virus to become reactivated. Many people learn to recognize the warning symptoms that occur during the prodromal phase directly prior to an outbreak.