Herpes Outbreaks: Stages of herpes

Stages of Herpes: Herpes Outbreaks Explained

The stages of herpes can be embarrassing and difficult to handle. However, with a little understanding and self care, outbreaks can be minimized or possibly eliminated. The symptoms of HSV2 can be best understood through an explanation of the stages of herpes and what happens during a herpes outbreak.


HSV2 is transmitted through sexual contact. Once the virus enters your body (usually through the soft mucous membranes of the genital area), it can lie dormant for weeks, months or even years. When the HSV2 is dormant in your body, it is undetectable by your immune system and is thus impossible to ever completely eliminate. HSV2 has no cure.

Once the virus is triggered – and there is not yet any scientific understanding of exactly what triggers herpes outbreaks (suspects are extended levels of stress, unresolved anger, excessive friction at the outbreak site, ultraviolet light, imbalance of lysine/arginine levels) – the virus becomes active, traveling along the nerves in and around your genital region.
This begins the beginning stages of herpes being, tingling, intense itching and slight burning at the potential outbreak site.

Almost immediately, your body will detect the virus and begin to fight it. You can sense this is true by the immune fighting responses your body will experience, such as swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, headaches, and possibly fever. Often (with a little help) your immunity can abort the attack or at least reduce the severity of the outbreaks.

One might consider oil of oregano, live enzymes, and or vitamin C and zinc as immune boosters.

If and when the herpes symptoms fully develop, a lesion or sore, or a cluster of bumps can develop at the site of the outbreak. It is very common for a herpes outbreak to differ both in the length of an outbreak and/or severity of symptoms. What is reported as very common is the intense itching and burning at the site of the outbreak for several days.
As the outbreak starts to heal you will feel a lessening in symptoms (swelling, pain, redness) and a crust may form over the sore or outbreak to protect the new skin forming underneath. It is very rare for any scarring or residual effects to linger after complete healing of any outbreaks.

Knowledge is power when understanding and treating the stages of HSV2.

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Stages of Herpes: Guide

There are typically three stages of herpes.  The first stage is called the prodrome stage where you may start to have sensations throughout your body signaling a possible outbreak.   Herpes is a virus that lives in dormant in your body until triggered, at which point it will find the path of least resistance to the skin.   The virus lives in a cluster of nerves at the base of your spine.  These nerves spread out throughout your body and when active the virus happily moves along the nerves until it probably (but not always!) finds a place on the skin to emerge.  This is a herpes outbreak.   Because the nerves travel throughout your pelvic region and expand outward, it is very common in the first stage of herpes to feel soreness, a bruising sensation, burning, and even pain throughout the pelvic region.  These sensations will often radiate in and around the hip area and down the legs.

While the best method to control outbreaks is through stress reduction and lifestyle choices, it is at this first stage that an intense treatment for herpes can possibly calm the virus down and coax it back to a dormant state.

The second stage of herpes is called the active stage and this is where you can expect a physical episode on the skin.  It can take the form of a blistery rash, a single deep sore, a group of small herpes like bumps, or any similar combination.   It is extremely common to experience both intense itching and burning during this active stage which (on average) can last anywhere from two to ten days.   As the virus prefers a warm and moist environment, during this second active stage, you can do your best to keep the outbreak area clean and dry.    During this stage you would want to avoid the excessive use of creams, oils and/or balms.   Think:  Clean and dry.

The latter part of stage one and well into the second stage can be quite uncomfortable.  You can experience pain, muscle aches, headaches, and general soreness.   You literally have an active virus in your system and can treat these viral symptoms with Advil, Tylenol or any pain reliever of  your choice.   As with any virus, adequate sleep and limited alcohol will also contribute to greater well being.

The third and final stage of herpes is the healing phase.   The open sore or rash (it is important to note that while not all herpes outbreaks are open and/or break the skin, each outbreak should be considered to have an active stage) will form a crust and the healing process of new skin generation will start under this crust.  It is crucial that you do not pick at this crust as healing can be delayed and scarring can result.     In this last stage of an outbreak a number of healing agents can be considered  (Vitamin E, Tea Tree Oil, Essential Oil: Melissa) which have been proven to dramatically increase the healing process but other than topically applying these oils, it is important to trust and leave your body to heal itself.

Beginning Stages of Herpes – are they really that bad?

First stage of genital herpes:

The beginning stages of herpes are characterized by the similar signs of oncoming flu (body aches, headache, fatigue) with the major difference being that you will usually feel an itching and burning sensation (sometimes quite intense) at the site where the outbreak is expected to make it’s arrival.   There is no reason that you cannot continue to function (work, life) during this early stage.   Tylenol or Advil can help with the flu like symptoms and a small amount of tea tree oil mixed with olive oil can assist in numbing the itching sensation.
Beginning stages of genital herpes: Viral Shedding
Make sure not to have sexual contact during any of the stages of herpes – even if you have don’t yet have signs of an active outbreak.  Viral shedding is the terminology used to describe the process of the virus moving from being dormant in your nerve cells to traveling up your nerve pathways up to the surface of the skin.  While statistics vary on the level of viral shedding when you have zero symptoms, viral shedding is real and rampant in this early stage of herpes.    Protect your sexual partners by avoiding all sexual contact.

Treatment for beginning stages of genital herpes:

Other than any pain reliever medication you may be taking to help with body and muscle aches, you can attempt to abort the oncoming outbreak by drastically increasing your intake of Vitamin C, zinc, and/or any other immune boosting supplement you find works for your body.   I like panax-ginseng (Cold-FX), as well as beta-1,3-glucan.
The first stage of herpes does not have to be a great source of distress in your life.  Educate yourself and learn what supplements and lifestyle changes you can make to help ward off  outbreaks and/or lessen the severity the effect the virus has in your life.

Early Stages of Herpes: How To Stop The Stages Of Herpes

Other than keeping your immune system strong and the virus dormant through effective treatment of HSV2, it is the early stages of herpes that give you the best chance of aborting an outbreak. The first stages of herpes can appear 24 – 48 hours before an outbreak is expected.   Symptoms can include soreness or a bruised feeling in and around the hip and flank area, often moving down one or both legs.  It is also quite common to experience flu like symptoms which can include an all-over-body ache, fatigue and muscle pain. During this first stage of the virus, as a natural treatment you can start to take high doses of Vitamin C (3000 mg) and (very important!) 30mg – 60mg of Zinc.

I always suggest that each and every day you take a immune tonic which can increase your immune function and keep any herpes outbreak dormant.

Excellent immune tonics to consider would be:

• Oil Of Oregano
• Beta Glucan (from yeast!)
• Panax Ginseng (aka: Cold FX)

If you are taking a daily supplement of any of the above (and just try one for a few months and see how it works for you.  Please don’t go out and buy all of them and take them all together!), and you begin to feel a herpes outbreak, you can increase the dosage in the 24-48 hour window along with any increase or addition of Vitamin C and Zinc.

Should you have opted to treat your herpes outbreak with a pharmaceutical anti-viral (Acyclovir, Famvir, or Valtrex) it is in this 24 – 48 period that you would want to commence the recommended dosage and/or increase the dosage that you are taking for suppression.

Regardless of whether you are opting for medical or natural treatment of your herpes symptoms, it is crucial that you take care of yourself and get as much sleep and rest as you can. Following the above recommendations can greatly increase your chances of completely stopping an outbreak or decreasing the duration and severity of the attack.

Good luck and take care.

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