Hi! first off i want to say that I do not have a official diagnosis, i am waiting on results for a swab that i got 4 days ago and suspecting it to be positive based on what ive compared it to online :(… I got swabbed the morning after i first noticed that i had a couple of sores, and she gave me valtrex… I have never had anything similar to what they looked like so I am assuming that this would be my first “initial and worst” outbreak. I got blood tested three months ago for herpes and it came back negative. But since then, ive gotten back with my ex boyfriend after spending about a year apart.. However, upon all of my searching and reading, i am still torn and hopeful to if they really are herpes sores or not. I noticed these sores the morning after I shaved with an old and rusty razor (oops) , and then got out of the shower and had intercourse with my boyfriend. We also used a vibrator, which while i obviously clean it, its probably still not the cleanest thing ever.. i have very dry skin and am very prone to folliculitis, in fact i have always gotten it, as well as in grown hairs… however i have never gotten them on the inner side of on my libia majora which is where i noticed these sores.. the thing that is confusing to me is that I never developed anymore sores other than the original 3 and they were spread out not clustered together at all.. also, none of them were on the soft wet skin tissue of the vulva, they are all still on the rougher skin where hair grows.. they were consistant in apparence with herpes sores and they were also sensitive to touch and urine did burn when it touched them, but isnt that true with any open wound/sore??.. I am also confused if its herpes because now that they are healing, they are just fading away and not scabbing over like what i have read herpes will do.. so my question is, does this progression (pictures) look typical for healing herpes sores? Also, if this is herpes and my first outbreak is only these three sores, do you think i will be less likely to have future outbreaks? Does this appear to be more consistant with hsv 1 or hsv 2? .. thanks yall!! (The first two pictures are from the day I got swabbed, and the last one is from today)..image
Hi there. First, take a deep breath, everything will be ok either way, I promise!
On one hand your sores look very much like herpes in shape and with the red ring, but where they don’t look classic is in how dry they are (herpes sores “weep” a clear/straw colored fluid), and also in how quickly they seem to be resolving for a potential primary outbreak. Keep in mind that the images we see online are typically the worst of the worst, whereas most people who have herpes outbreaks have something that appears like what you’re experiencing, mild.
It’s hard to say what’s most likely for future outbreaks, other than the fact that future outbreaks are almost always more mild than the primary. Your results could really go either way, so please come back to post an update when you hear back! There is absolutely no way to visually distinguish HSV 1 from 2.
Thank you for your response! this forum helped me get through my panic. Luckily, I tested negative! Doctor said it was most likely caused by bacteria after shaving