Herpes Symptoms in Men

We often hear people complaining about red blisters around the mouth. What is it? It is a skin infection resulting from exposure to herpes simplex virus. Herpes infection is categorized into two types; oral herpes and genital herpes. As the name suggests, oral herpes affects the mouth, whereas genital herpes is the infection of the sex organs. Although, herpes occurs in both sexes, very few people are aware about its symptoms.

Symptoms

Oral Herpes
When herpes simplex virus invades the mouth, it can be a cause of great discomfort. The symptoms appear in the form of sores, which are nothing but blisters that are seen in clusters and cause pain when touched. These sores are usually seen around the mouth but many times they appear inside the mouth.

The most commonly affected area in oral herpes are the lips. When the viral infection spreads inside the mouth, sores start appearing on the tongue and the gum. The roof of the mouth as well as inner cheeks, showing soars indicates the presence of herpes inside mouth. In few cases, the sores affect the throat and in such cases this internal infection can certainly be troublesome.

Mouth herpes trigger a burning sensation, especially when eating or drinking water. Sometimes, the pain can be unbearable, when swallowing food. In other words the pain is at its worst during eating meal. In some cases, the blisters formed due to herpes simplex virus can also break open and leak fluids. The ruptured blisters can become ulcers (open wounds) and trigger intense pain.

Genital Herpes
Herpes simplex virus affecting the genital area such as the penis, the rectum or the scrotum can be equally painful, especially during sexual intercourse. This happens because the genitals show skin growths in the form of red bumps and sores. Genital herpes typically causes persistent itching in the affected area.

With the occurrence of herpes in the genital area, sexual intercourse is no longer a source of pleasure. Painful urination is commonly associated with genital herpes. However, when the viral infection is mild living with herpes simplex is easy and the person may not even know that he is suffering from this viral infection.

Early Herpes Symptoms
Even before the sores develop, the exposed area starts itching and is accompanied by an unusual burning sensation. In the early stages of herpes infection, increase in body temperature is also observed. The person may also experience fatigue, headache and muscle aches. Enlarged lymph nodes and inflammation of the glands in the neck and the groin area is also an indication of onset of herpes. This may continue for a few days after exposure to the virus. Once the stipulated time is over, blisters begin to form on the affected area.

Genital herpes occurs as a consequence of having a sexual intercourse with a female affected with HSV virus. However, men can protect themselves from genital herpes by using a condom. Genital herpes treatment (if needed) involves intake of oral anti-viral medications that need to be prescribed by a qualified doctor. It is also observed that many people suffer from recurrent infection of genital herpes. So, to prevent frequent outbreaks of genital herpes and accelerate the healing process of the sores, use these anti-viral medications as recommended. For oral herpes, the doctor may prescribe topical anesthetics to alleviate pain.