Brief Answer: No worries, Self resolves, precaution and relief Detailed Answer: Thank you for asking! Herpes simplex labialis AKA cold sore is very common cause of perioral discomfort. This condition affects millions of Americans with 600,000 new cases developing each year and is the source of numerous patient inquiries to physicians and pharmacists.There is no cure, so an initial infection remains, without exception. There are five stages of a cold sore, from initial manifestation to complete healing 1-Prodromal Stage:This stage consists of tingling, itching, inflammation, erythema, hypersensitivity, and/or soreness in the exact location where the lesion will erupt. 2-Blister Stage :Prodromal stage usually lasts for one to two days and ends when blisters appear, signaling the onset of the blister stage. The blisters are filled with clear, yellow fluid. 3-weeping stage: At the end of Blister stage, the lips may be virtually disfigured by a large crop of blisters. After approximately two days, the blisters begin to rupture, exposing an erythematous open wound that becomes gray in color.This is the weeping stage. Highly infective yellowish fluid oozes from the wounds for a day or so 4-scabbing stage: The wounds are covered with yellowish crusts in the scabbing stage. 5-Healing stage: The usual duration of the condition is seven to 10 days, but it may persist as long as two weeks. And you are very right about its transmission and that is why you need a lot of precautionary measure to prevent it reach your family. Following are the triggers to avoid its recurrence and dormancy that is natural or artificial ultraviolet light (e.g., sunlight, tanning beds), lip chapping, lip trauma or abrasion, fever (probably the origin of the lay term "fever blister"), menstrual periods, fatigue, overexposure to wind, immunosuppression, the common cold, dental instrument irritation of intraoral tissues, tooth removal or other dental surgery, digestive problems, traveler's diarrhea, decompression of the trigeminal nerve, physical stress, and pregnancy. To avoid its transmission , do not touch others. never kiss another person, nor engage in oral/genital sexual activity.You must avoid oral contact with anything that might touch the lips or skin of another person before it is decontaminated.avoid sharing such objects as drinking glasses, coffee mugs, straws, washcloths, towels, spoons, forks, lip balms, and medication dosing devices. All infected objects must be washed in hot water; boiling water is the most protective.Refrain from touching the lesions it will transfer virus to the hand.Wash the lesion gently with soap and water, but the washcloth used should be laundered immediately after contact, as it is also infective.One time use of disposable towels further reduce the transmission. Now the good news is that all the medicines for this cold sore are non prescription and you don't need a physician for that. You can just go to near by pharmacies and they will give you the refill by just seeing the lesions. Docosanol 10% cream (Abreva) containing the inactive ingredients benzyl alcohol and light mineral oil. It is the only FDA-approved nonprescription product able to shorten healing time and duration of symptoms, such as tingling, pain, burning, and itching. You can apply it upto 5 times daily. Some other FDA-approved pain relievers include external analgesic/anesthetics, such as benzocaine, benzyl alcohol, camphor, dibucaine, diphenhydramine, dyclonine, juniper tar, lidocaine, menthol, phenol, pramoxine, resorcinol, and tetracaine. FDA-approved protectants (e.g., allantoin, calamine, petrolatum, zinc oxide, and cocoa butter) soften the skin to prevent cracking and also relieve dryness. Some products that include these ingredients are Anbesol Cold Sore Therapy (64.9% white petrolatum, 20% benzocaine, 3% camphor, 1% allantoin) and Neosporin LT (1.5% allantoin, 1% pramoxine). Avoid products like lysine, Novitra ( A homeopathically diluted zinc oxide), Releev containing benzalkonium chloride, Carmex containing the active ingredients menthol 0.7%, camphor 1.7%, and phenol 0.4%. , as they have been proved disastrous and are not approved by FDA. I hope it helps. Dont worry. It will go away in 10 days tops even without any remedy. I wish you good luck. Dont forget to close the discussion. May the odds be ever in your favour. S Khan

---