Question:
I have a question pertaining to spreading and would really appreciate anyone's insight or if they'd be able to direct me somewhere that might have specific/technical information.

I get cold sores. I either get one big one directly on my lip or a bunch of blisters on my chin right under my lip. I always feel them starting and when they do, I usually hide but in any case I know when I'm about to get one and I take care of myself as best as I can. This also includes no contact with anyone. I won't even hug my mother.

Just recently, I ended up having oral sex with a guy. I was really stress-free, getting a lot of sleep, and eating decently at that time [all factors that I see correlate with my outbreaks]. We had kissed alot, and later that night I noticed that my chin was really sore, like it was scratched up. And I attributed it to the fact that he had a decent bit of stubble on his face, so I figured while we were kissing, the stubble scratched the skin on my chin. The next day, I noticed there was a very slight scab over the skin area on my chin, and it felt rough. Again, I figured it was because of the kissing. 3 days later, as I was washing my face before bed, I noticed the beginning of a small blister on my chin in the region where I normally get them and where the thin scab was beginning to come off. It was definitely a fever blister and the next morning had grown larger and more painful. So, I panicked. I read online at one site that one of the factors that can induce an outbreak, besides stress and whatnot, was trauma e.g. from shaving, cuts, etc. Now I am besides myself with panic that I transmitted it to the guy I was with. How possible is it that this happened if my blister sprouted 3 days later but didn't have an active infection at the time? If one person who has it contacts another person, it is always 100% transmitted? I've been with other people in the past [and they have known I get cold sores] and I have not heard anything from them about getting it. Can anyone help me with this question? Please?

Thank you.

Answer:
My gut feeling is the irritation from his stubble probably triggered the ob, and so, most likely, you weren't actually contagious at the time you were kissing him. He just woke the little buggers up and made them mad. Of course, I can't say this with 100% certainty, but I know it's fairly common to have ob's of genital H after sex from the friction if the skin isn't wet enough to prevent irritation. At any rate, I wouldn't freak out if I was you. If it would make you feel better, tell him you got a cold sore a few days after kissing him, and let him know that if anything should turn up he should have it checked. Or wait and see what happens. Chances are, nothing will. Relax.