comment: >
  
  All great info.  Thanks for sharing!
context: This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
  (For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
  Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >
  
  I knew cold sores were caused by herpes, but for a long time, I thought “cold sores” were a different condition known as “canker sores” and thought that I had oral herpes only to find out later that canker sores were an unrelated thing. >
  
  Canker sores are mouth ulcers; for everyone else in the world.
  They're usually caused by sharp/abrasive foods and/or bad diet, but can also be a physiological response to stress if you're some who's prone to them.
  Cold sores or oral herpes (HSV-1) occurs in 2/3 people worldwide 1 and is about that high in the USA too 2 - though the majority don't display any symptoms. If you have a cold sore and someone takes the piss, chances are they also have HSV-1 and don't know.
  Additionally, cold sores can sometimes be confused with in-growing hairs. If you pluck hairs out from around the mouth, sometimes they'll grow back without poking through the hole and can get infected. >
  
  we now know hsv-2 can also cause oral herpes >
  
  Dude that's not even that crazy, a LOT of people don't even know that HPV isn't herpes and that a canker sore isn't a cold sore. It's insane how much education a lot of people grew up with in modern times yet many  adults are still super uninformed about STDs and just go off of hearsay or what a parent told them long ago. >
  
  It's true, actual canker sores are not herpes, but way too many people refer to cold sores as canker sores. >
  
  Cold sores are herpes. Chicken pox is herpes. Shingles is herpes. #EVERYTHING IS HERPES!!!! >
  
  Ok, but that's confusing for lay people. If anyone reads this comment and gets confused, all those viruses are in the herpes family. When we talk about herpes in everyday speak, we are only talking about herpes simplex 1 and 2. This is separate to the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles. >
  
  And even further, when people are referring to herpes as an STI they’re referring to herpes simplex 2 which is only spread via genitals and tends to affect genitals. Meanwhile, ~2/3 of the population carries herpes simplex 1, it’s just cold sores and can be treated effectively w oral/topical antivirals. 
  Herpes Zoster is chicken pox, but people don’t realize the virus never leaves your body, it just lays dormant. Decades go by until herpes zoster flares up and causes painful shingles. There’s a vaccine, everyone over age 50 should get it. >
  
  I got pox late in life and man was it bad. I got those shots as soon as I could because I am not game for shingles at all!