Learn Your Triggers

The factors that contribute to a recurrence are highly individual, but with time, many people learn to recognize, and sometimes avoid, factors that seem to reactivate HSV for them. Illness, poor diet, emotional or physical stress, friction in the genital area, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light (a common trigger for oral herpes) like a beach trip or skiing weekend for example, surgical trauma, and steroidal medication (such as asthma treatment) may trigger a herpes outbreak. The frequency of outbreaks can often be managed through effective stress management, and adequate rest, nutrition, and exercise.