What is the typical course of a genital herpes outbreak?

The typical course of a genital herpes outbreak involves the progression from lesions to healing, which usually takes place over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. During this time, an individual may experience initial symptoms such as tingling or itching, followed by the appearance of painful vesicular lesions. These lesions eventually crust over and heal, completing the outbreak cycle.

Understanding this process is essential, as it informs patients about what to expect during an outbreak, including the duration and nature of symptoms. Recognizing that healing can take weeks helps manage expectations and guides appropriate self-care measures during this time.

In contrast, instantaneous recovery or immediate resolution of symptoms occurs only in rare cases and is not characteristic of herpes outbreaks. Continuous recurrent outbreaks without healing would indicate a severe deviation from the typical course, which is not the norm for herpes simplex virus infections. Lastly, a chronic state with no outbreaks does not accurately represent the nature of viral latency and reactivation associated with herpes viruses. While the virus can remain dormant, it typically can reactivate periodically, which is consistent with the known behavior of genital herpes.