Would you kiss someone with a cold sore?

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I know it's not really an STD, but I was recently with a person and I noticed this person had a cold sore and it prevented me from kissing. Is it ridiculous to not kiss someone with a cold sore? Would you do it?

personally i wouldnt do it. cold sores are a type of herpe (sp?) and they are really contagious.

Kanker Sores are herpes, Cold sores are not.

Hereand this is from another site Herpes is an infection that is caused by a herpes simplex virus (HSV). Oral herpes causes cold sores around the mouth or face. Genital herpes affects the genitals, buttocks or anal area. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). You can get it from having sex, even oral sex. The virus can spread even when sores are not present. Mothers can also infect their babies during childbirth. from here

ah, then it's the other way around, Canker sores aren't herpes, cold sores are. To OP: Which did you mean?

i think the o.p means cold sores.canker sores suck...

Does OP mean original poster? Well, I meant oral herpes. The thing is I couldn't kiss this person because I noticed something that I would call a cold sore on the lip. I'm not sure if it could have been something else though. It looked like a cold sore to me. But what happened was I got rejected because this person concluded that intimacy didn't work between us because I couldn't even kiss. I avoided talking about the cold sore, because I had talked about STDs at a previous time and this person didn't take it so well so I didn't want to talk about some more diseases. And when I talked to a friend about this then she just smiled and thought that I was being rather silly for not being able to kiss someone with a cold sore since most people have oral herpes. I just wanted to know how other people feel about kissing someone with a cold sore.

Heeeeeeeell no I wouldn't have kissed them, I don't risk getting and STD for anyone.

yup it means original poster. hunny, if you dont want to risk getting an STD dont do it!!!

doesnt matter if a lot of people have oral herpes or not. a lot of people have genital herpes, it doesnt mean they are going around having unprotected sex because a lot of people have it anyway.... :S

its completely up to you what you want to do, but if you dont feel comfortable, then dont do it :smile:

If you don't have cold sores, to kiss someone with an active cold sore is to give it to yourself for life. That's not something I would want to do. Any decent person with cold sores would say to an uninfected partner NOT to kiss while there was an outbreak.

Originally Posted By: IneligibleIf you don't have cold sores, to kiss someone with an active cold sore is to give it to yourself for life. That's not something I would want to do. Any decent person with cold sores would say to an uninfected partner NOT to kiss while there was an outbreak. I thought you could get it even when there wasn't an outbreak.

You can, though the infection rate is much lower. While there's an outbreak you are almost certain to get it. Most of the time when there's no outbreak there's no virus on the surface and the person isn't infectious. Unfortunately the virus comes back to the surface and the person becomes infectious just before an outbreak, though often a tingly feeling can be felt at this stage.

Nope I'll pass. Who would want a festering sore on their mouth if they don't have to?

Thanks people. I don't think I've ever had a cold sore, but I'm thinking now that if you've had one previously would there be any reason to avoid kissing someone with an outbreak then? How big is the risk of getting infected a second time to another part of say the lip. I read somewhere that if you have an outbreak then you should avoid touching the sore, because you could spread it to other places on your face. But how likely is this to happen?

UUUUUGGGHHHHHH you have no idea how much this topic is making me squirm inside. I like the girl I am with currently.. however she like 9 out of 10 other people get cold sores. This bothers me because I don't want cold sores... but, she has the decency to tell me.. I somehow get the feeling many people wouldn't.. so.. odds are if I don't get it from her I might get it from someone else.I guess the ultimate issue comes down to outbreaks.. I might be over looking the possibility I already have it but, just don't get outbreaks..Right now my conclusion is whatever goes. As to the waiting till they don't have an outbreak. While the chances might be lower.. I think even with the lower chances you should be ready to accept the outcome.I just find myself with the catch of not wanting cold sores but, liking a person with them. I guess I would feel shallow if I just over looked her because of it. I mean.. she is a great person and she can't help what she was born with..

_however she like 9 out of 10 other people get cold sores. _
I think that's highly exaggerated.. Where is the data to back up that statement?

9/10 of all people, or 9/10 of herpes infected people?

Because I have *never* gotten one, neither has my husband, his neice, or really any of my family.

This is from Wikipedia:"It is estimated that 50% of adults in the United Kingdom are carriers of the Herpes Simplex Virus, many of whom will never exhibit any symptoms of infection. Similarly, 50% of Americans have HSV-1 antibodies in their blood by the time they have become young adults, and by age 50 or over, 80-90% of Americans have HSV-1 antibodies."And this is what it says about genital herpes:"HSV-2 is widespread, affecting an estimated 1 in 4 females and 1 in 5 males in the United States."

OK but that's not 9/10 or 90%...

So being a carrier of the virus doesn't mean you will have cold sores or any other symptoms. But even if you've had a cold sore once, I think it is possible to get re-infected again. It's possible to spread the virus to other parts of the body if you touch the sore. But I would think the risk is smaller if you are already a carrier of the virus.