During an outbreak, new sores break out in the same places. Symptoms are less severe and last for less amount of time than those that occurred during the first occurrence of symptoms. These include tingling, burning, and itching where you had sores before. These signs could start a few hours or days before the outbreak. Some people only get a few outbreaks, while others get many.
People can have many outbreaks in a row and then go months or years without one.
People with illnesses that weaken the immune system, like leukemia and HIV, are more likely to get more outbreaks and have symptoms that are more painful and last longer. It is not clear what causes outbreaks. Make sure that are you are eating a healthy diet, getting enough rest, exercising, and finding ways to relieve stress. If you have frequent or severe outbreaks, talk to your health care provider about taking a medication to prevent outbreaks or to treat them early. If you are having a herpes outbreak, you should not have any sexual contact until all sores have healed, the scabs have fallen off, and the skin is normal again.