Pictures of Genital Herpes

There are two types of genital herpes, known as the herpes simplex viruses or for short as HSV-1 and HSV-2. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the only way of contracting either of those viruses is through sexual contact with an already infected person. But genital herpes symptoms are not easy to see in already infected people, even if they are naked.

First Outbreak

The Mayo Clinic reports that a person may carry HSV-1 or HSV-2 for years and not exhibit any genital herpes symptoms at all. When they do, the initial outbreak is usually the worst. Any outbreaks in the future are usually mild in comparison to the first. These include:

• Flu-like symptoms such as body aches, headache and fever
• Small red itchy blisters on the genitals, anus, buttocks and inner thighs
• Small bumps up inside the anus, genitals or urethra
• Pain when urinating and/or excreting

After a few days, the red blisters burst and either bleed or ooze a clear or pale colored liquid. Eventually they will scab over and heal in a similar way that a pimple does. The time frame for an outbreak is different for each person. It could be a couple of weeks, months or a few days.

Everyone Is Different

The CDC mentions that not everyone will go through such miserable genital herpes symptoms with their first outbreak. Some people will only get very few itchy bumps which quickly go away. Other people do not get flu-like symptoms.

However, these genital herpes symptoms recur over the patient’s life. The average sufferer will have four more outbreaks in the first year alone. Sometimes patients do not realize they have contracted genital herpes until they have gone through several rounds of strange bumps and mild flu-like symptoms.

In Conclusion

There is no way to see genital herpes symptoms just by looking at someone, to see if they are lying about their health. There is no cure for genital herpes, so it is up to the infected person to abstain from sex when sores are present, always use a condom and warn any potential partners of his or her condition. If you are unsure what herpes looks like you can find pictures of genital herpes online to know what to look for.