Cold sores, also known as fever blisters are usually differentiated from other types of mouth sores by way of observing their appearance and location.
Where do cold sores usually form?
Cold sores are usually found either:
On or at the edge of a person's lip.
On the facial skin near a person's mouth.
Each new cold sore breakout will typically form in essentially the same location as any previous cold sore outbreaks.
What do cold sores look like?
Cold sores usually run their course in 8 to 12 days, taking the following forms during the five stages outlined below:
Day 1-2 : The Tingle stage. [The Prodrome Stage.] In most cases a person's first indication that a cold sore is
developing is that they notice a sense of soreness, tautness, or
swelling in the location where their cold sore will ultimately form.
Sometimes this same area will become slightly reddened.
Day 2-3 : The
Blister stage.
The
first readily visible sign of cold sore formation is the appearance of
several fluid filled blisters. Usually these blisters are very small
(smaller in diameter than the thickness of a dime) and they usually
form in a cluster that is no larger than about the size of a nickel. In
some cases individual blisters coalesce with others so to form a single
larger blister.
Day 4 : The Weeping stage. [The Ulcer Stage.]
Cold
sore blisters usually rupture soon after they have formed, resulting in
a shallow reddish ulceration whose surface becomes gray. This
ulcerative phase of cold sore formation can be its most painful stage. This is also the stage during which a cold sore is most contagious.
Days 5 - 8 : The Crusting stage.
In those facial areas where a cold sore lesion
is not kept wet by moisture from the mouth the ulcer will become dry
and scab over with a brownish crust. This scabbing formation is often
accompanied by an itching or burning sensation. The scab itself will
often crack or break, which in turn can cause bleeding.
Days 9 - 12 : The Final Healing stage.
As
time progresses so will the cold sore's healing. Usually a series of
scabs will form on the lesion, each one flaking off before it is
replaced by a new one. Each new scab will be smaller than the previous
one until finally the cold sore resolves itself fully, in most cases
without scarring.
