Genital Herpes

Home treatment for genital herpes focuses on relieving symptoms, reducing the risk of recurrent outbreaks, and helping you cope with a lifelong condition.

To reduce discomfort from herpes sores:

• Take warm sitz baths or wash the area with warm water 3 or 4 times a day.
• In between sitz baths, keep the sores clean and dry.
• Using a hair dryer to dry off the sores may be more comfortable than using a towel.
• Wear cotton underpants, which absorb moisture better than those made from synthetic material.

Nonprescription medicines may reduce the pain and fever from genital herpes.

To lower the risk of recurrent outbreaks, reduce or avoid factors that trigger outbreaks, such as overexposure to sun, fatigue, irritation of the genital area, and stress.

Finding out that you have genital herpes may cause you to have negative thoughts or feelings about yourself or about sex, such as:

• Feeling ashamed or embarrassed.
• Being afraid of the consequences of the infection.
• Being angry at the person who infected you.
• Feeling frustrated with treatment or recurrent outbreaks.
• Feeling scared to have sex.

A counselor or support groups for people with herpes may be helpful. For more information, see the Other Places to Get Help section of this topic.

Genital herpes can be bothersome. But if you are a healthy adult, you do not need to worry that it will cause serious problems.