This may include one or more painful blisters located on the mucus membranes, including the mouth, lips, or on any genital skin. These blisters may make urinating painful, which may lead to urinary retention. The first outbreak may take up to 14 days to heal but usually resolves without scarring. After the first outbreak, the infected person may have future HSV outbreaks. Generally, these outbreaks tend to be more common in the first year after exposure.
Future outbreaks tend to be less severe than the initial outbreak.
Outbreaks are sometimes proceeded by what is referred to as a prodrome. Prodromal symptoms can include feelings of a tingling or itching sensation in the oral or genital regions between 30 minutes to two days before the next outbreak occurs. Unlike gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, there is not a cure for HSV at the current time. Treatment of HSV usually consists of making an outbreak more palatable for the infected person. This can include application of cool compresses to the area and use of analgesics, like Tylenol.