They're very painful and may crack and become blistered. Sometimes these lesions bleed or ooze fluid. The initial outbreak may last up to two weeks and go away never to return. But while the blisters heal, the virus still lives in the nerves at the base of the skull or the nerve cells throughout the body. A new outbreak can be triggered by stress, sickness, or if a person is run-down, tired, or has too much sun.
Subsequent attacks are usually less severe.
For testing, the doctor will collect a small amount of fluid from the sores and send it to a lab to see if the herpes virus is present. It may take up to 2 weeks to get the results. If no sores are present, testing may be difficult. Treatment of genital herpes outbreaks, especially when started early, shortens the duration of the outbreak and reduces the symptoms. The drugs used are acyclovir and, more recently, famcyclovir and valacyclovir.