From someone who gets them more than any other person I've ever known, let me provide you with everything i know of from research and experience: If you suffer from cold sores, then the virus is permanently in your body. Some people are not too badly affected by it, usually only getting 2 or 3 outbreaks a year. Others, such as myself, suffer terribly from it, in my case upwards of 15-25 breakouts a year. 90% of the time, if you have the virus, then whenever you get sick, even somethign as simple as a pathetic little cold that keeps you achey for just a day, will cause the virus to erupt. First, the most impending warning sign: - One of the most common and surprisingly overlooked signs is pain in the buttocks and lower back. Usually a day or two before the sores break out on your lips, you may notice an abnormal pain in the buttocks, usually just above it or in one of the 'cheeks'. More commonly, you will get pain in the lower back. But why? The answer is pretty surprising. Scientists who have researched Herpes Simplex determined that, when it lies dormant in the body, it rests in the base of the spine. When the virus is triggered, usually by a cold or some sort of illness, the body's immune system focuses on ridding the body of the new threat, thus allowing the suppressed and dormant Herpes virus to reawaken and do its damage. Almost sounds like an epic novel, doesn't it? Its too true...the virus then literally crawls up the spine and you get the breakout within a day or so of the virus waking up again. The pain experienced in the lower back comes from the initial attack of the virus. - Tingling, burning, or unexplained itchiness on the lips usually occurs before the sores begin to form. If you notice a painful burning or a somewhat numb tingling, its the earliest stage of a sore formation. By the time it starts itching, it is usually ready to erupt. The itching is usually somewhat painful, and scratching doesn't make it feel better...it only irritates it more. -Lip sensitivity may occur. If a spot on your lips seems unusually tender, keep an eye on it. -Dry mouth and severely chapped lips may occur as well. If your lips seem unusually chapped, broken and dry, accompanied with dry mouth and possibly a throat tickle, it may indicate an impending cold sore outbreak. -Red splotching is a tell-tale sign. If you have a red mark on the lip (hard to tell if you have darker red shade of lips), or any kind of unusually dark colored mark on the skin surrounding your lips depending on the normal color of your skin, then a sore may be forming. -A small, pimple-like bump is the final step...within hours it will become a full blown sore. So what do you do when you get these warning signs? Nothing...there is nothing you can do. Cold sores are one of the many things in the world that remain COMPLETELY incurable. HOWEVER, as I always do, I very highly recommend Abreva. As soon as you begin to feel the tingling/burning/itching, or any colored splotching, apply Abreva to the area. If you're lucky you'll catch the sore before it forms, you'll diminish the sore. Even after the outbreak of the sore, application of Abreva will cut it down. Abreva cannot prevent the outbreak from occurring, but it works overtime to diminish the sore. Take it from me, it works. I get cold sores so badly that they tend to stay with me for 10 or more days. Since I discovered Abreva, i've never had one last more than 3, except for extreme cases. Keep in mind, a cold sore outbreak could occur even up to a week after the initial cold. Fevers tend to produce the sores much more quickly, simply because at higher temperatures of the body, the immune system has to work overtime to help you cope, and this allows the agressive virus to manifest much more quickly. Also remember one VERY important thing: I am NOT an expert on this subject, and despite the fact that I get over a dozen cold sore outbreaks a year, I have no personal experience with the following information other than my knowledge gained through researching the topic: Genital Herpes and cold sores are THE SAME VIRUS, but they ARE NOT THE SAME SIMPLEX. The simplex strain that causes cold sores can be caught by countless ways. Most people inherit them from their parents. Genital Herpes is the same kind of virus but a completely different strain that is...you guessed it...only transmitted from sexual contact. But be warned...they are still the same virus. Sexual acts while you have an outbreak of cold sores can easily spread the infection to parts of your partner's body. In fact, there are some who beleive that the only reason the genital herpes strain evolved is because the parent strain, which causes cold sores and other herpes outbreaks, has been around probably much longer than humans. Human beings have always been sexually permiscuous...hence, not to draw it out any longer, it is beleived by some that genital herpes evolved due to the practice of oral sex while while in the midst of a cold sore outbreak. Though the simplex virus that occurs on the lips will not cause the simplex for genital herpes, it CAN permanently cause future outbreaks of sores on the genitals, causing a slightly different strain of genital herpes.

I get a unpleasant tingling feeling, hot in the area where the cold sore will come out, then a bit of swelling and oh there it is