Cold Sore Symptoms

Most cold sore symptoms are more annoying than dangerous.  If you have a cold sore, you can expect some of the following symptoms:

• A dull pain in the days before the cold sore appears
• Small, painful, fluid-filled blisters
• They usually occur around the mouth, but can appear elsewhere on the face, and on rare occasions on other parts of the body
• Symptoms typically last between 7 and 10 days.

Again, most cold sore symptoms are not severe, but that doesn't mean complications are impossible.  These are some possible complications:

• Infection, more likely if the person has an immune deficiency (such as HIV/AIDS), or a variety of conditions including eczema and cancer
• A cold sore near the eye, which can cause cornea problems
• A cold sore that heals abnormally slowly

So if you have any of these cold sore symptoms, a doctor should be consulted right away.  But under normal circumstances, there is no need to see a doctor.