It's important to avoid touching your face as much as possible when you have cold sores because you are more likely to spread cold sores to other people. Cold sores are caused by certain strains of the herpes simplex virus and can spread from close contact as well as sharing silverware, razors and towels.1 Touching the cold sore on your face can make it easy to then spread it to other people through contact, especially if your cold sore blister has burst. In some people, you can even spread cold sores to other areas of the body, including the fingertips, eyes and other areas of the skin. 1 This can cause further complications and issues down the line. One simple thing you can do to help prevent either spreading cold sores to other people or to other areas of your body is to avoid touching your face as much as possible, especially when you have an active cold sore. Then, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly and/or use a tissue when you need to touch your face.