Oral Herpes

Oral herpes is an infection of the lips and mouth area caused by the herpes simplex virus or HSV-1. It is refered to by many names such as herpes on lips or herpes lips, but it is also known as cold sores and fever blisters.

The virus creates very painful sores on the lips and gums.  The sores can also be found on the tongue, inside of cheeks and roof of the mouth.  Other areas, but not as common are on the neck and other areas of the face.

Canker sores are thought to be the same as cold sores, but this is a falsehood. You will only find canker sores inside your mouth, never on skin surfaces. Canker sores are not contagious, come with no complications and are caused by an irritation inside the mouth.

Oral herpes infects close to 80% of the U.S. population, but by age 40 close to 60% of the population has built up enough antibodies to keep the virus at bay.

Here are some facts about Oral Herpes or HSV-1:

• The virus only affects humans. Most mouth sores are commonly found in children that are 1-2 years old.

• HSV-1 in contracted by touching infected saliva, or skin.
• Because it is so contagious, almost all adults become infected before adulthood. 
• There are 3 stages a person goes through once they have contracted HSV-1

1. Being Infected-The virus will enter the skin and reproduce.  Sores may and a fever may develop.

2. Latency-The virus will move to the closes nerve tissue and reproduces and becomes inactive, until it is triggered again.

3. Recurrence-When the body becomes stressed or some other trigger is set off the virus will activate and cause new sores and symptoms.

There are many reasons why the herpes virus reactivates for more information about the causes of oral herpes click here!

Discoid Lupus

Discoid lupus erythematosus is a skin infection that has coin sized red bumps.  The cause of of descoid lupus is unknown.

Discoid lupus is thought to be an autoimmune problem.  This occurs when the cells of the immune system start fighting against the body.  If the cells are working correctly they will detect and destroy viruses, bacteria and other foreign objects.
The red bumps that show up the skin are a result of inflammation on the skin.

The characteristic skin lesion of discoid lupus erythematosus is circular and raised.  The red rash is anywhere between five and ten millimeters in diameter.  The center of the rash will often times be lighter in color and also tends to be scaley.

The surface of the sores resemble a wart.  They are most times found on the face, neck, scalp, arms, ears and abdomen. They do not tend to be itchy or cause any pain.  When the lesions are healed, they will leave a thick scar on the skin.  You might also notice no hair growth in that area either.  People with discoid lupus lesions tend to sunburn easily, with the sun making the lesions worse.


Treatment for Discoid Lupus

There are many creams out there today, and you must use sunscreen for protection.  Steroid creams are often used to stop the inflammation.  Steroid injections have been used, but are not recommended because of the long list of side effects that comes with it.

Many alternative methods have been used with success.  These include eating a healthy diet low in red meat and dairy.  Getting high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines.  You can also use supplements that include vitamin c,e,b and a.  Selenium is also recommended.

People with DLE might have to deal with the unsightly lesions.  But they are not painful and are not life threatening.

Discoid Lupus cannot be prevented, avoiding the sun and using sunscreen are the best ways to avoid outbreaks.