Although they look similar, there is a very big difference between pimples and cold sores. Here we outline them both, so tat you can tell if that bump on your face is just or a pimple or something far more serious.
Cold sores usually appear on the lips, chin and around the mouth. They can also breakout around the nostrils and inside the mouth, but this is much less likely. They can sometimes also appear on the cheeks.
Pimples can be painful, but they are not as painful as cold sores. The skin around a cold sore will normally feel itchy and tingling in the earlier stages. The blister will then crack and ooze before scabbing, which is a much more painful process.
The bad news is that anyone can suffer from cold sores and pimples. They are very common amongst a great deal of the population.
Teens are the worst sufferers of pimples because they have pily skin and like to eat junk food like chocolate and McDonalds. True!
Both cold sores and acne can show up around the mouth and they can appear quite similar in their early stages, which can cause confusion. Having said that, they will feel very totally different and they will also change in appearance as they develop.
Pimples are red in colour and will form a white top a couple of days after they first show up. They are brought on by a blockage in a skin pore. They are especially common in teenagers, due to hormonal shifts which result in oily skin.
Cold sores on the other hand are caused by the herpes simplex virus. Before a cold sore appears, you will often feel a tingle like discomfort under the skin where it will eventually show up.
This tingle is a clear indicator that you have a cold sore and not a pimple. Want to understand what causes cold sores?
Cold sores are brought on by the herpes simplex virus and are extremely transmittable. The virus is easily transferred through kissing, skin to skin contact, and through sharing items like utensils, cups, towels and make-up. Once you have contracted the HSV-1 virus, it will remain in your body for life. It lies dormant in your system until activated by a trigger.
But even if you have the HSV-1 virus, you may never suffer from a cold sore. Some statistics show that as few as 10% of people carrying the virus will suffer from outbreaks.
Always remember never to play with, touch or squeeze a cold sore or a pimple. This is very important.
Not only can squeezing pimples lead to scarring, but it can make them worse by pushing the infection deeper into the skin.
We've mentioned before that the HSV virus is highly contagious, and touching a cold sore is the easiest way to spread it to other parts of your face and body.
Cold sores usually appear on the lips, chin and around the mouth. They can also breakout around the nostrils and inside the mouth, but this is much less likely. They can sometimes also appear on the cheeks.
Pimples can be painful, but they are not as painful as cold sores. The skin around a cold sore will normally feel itchy and tingling in the earlier stages. The blister will then crack and ooze before scabbing, which is a much more painful process.
The bad news is that anyone can suffer from cold sores and pimples. They are very common amongst a great deal of the population.
Teens are the worst sufferers of pimples because they have pily skin and like to eat junk food like chocolate and McDonalds. True!
Both cold sores and acne can show up around the mouth and they can appear quite similar in their early stages, which can cause confusion. Having said that, they will feel very totally different and they will also change in appearance as they develop.
Pimples are red in colour and will form a white top a couple of days after they first show up. They are brought on by a blockage in a skin pore. They are especially common in teenagers, due to hormonal shifts which result in oily skin.
Cold sores on the other hand are caused by the herpes simplex virus. Before a cold sore appears, you will often feel a tingle like discomfort under the skin where it will eventually show up.
This tingle is a clear indicator that you have a cold sore and not a pimple. Want to understand what causes cold sores?
Cold sores are brought on by the herpes simplex virus and are extremely transmittable. The virus is easily transferred through kissing, skin to skin contact, and through sharing items like utensils, cups, towels and make-up. Once you have contracted the HSV-1 virus, it will remain in your body for life. It lies dormant in your system until activated by a trigger.
But even if you have the HSV-1 virus, you may never suffer from a cold sore. Some statistics show that as few as 10% of people carrying the virus will suffer from outbreaks.
Always remember never to play with, touch or squeeze a cold sore or a pimple. This is very important.
Not only can squeezing pimples lead to scarring, but it can make them worse by pushing the infection deeper into the skin.
We've mentioned before that the HSV virus is highly contagious, and touching a cold sore is the easiest way to spread it to other parts of your face and body.