I get these horribly painful clusters of blisters on my "cheek" and when they heal up they leave the worst scars. Since it's on my butt I normally wouldn't care but I am a dancer and when I have an outbreak I cannot work.( I wear a G at work.) This is really affecting me financially - and mentally because of the scarring. The scar is purple for quite awhile, then fades to a reddish color. I can cover this up with dermablend but the problem with this or any other cover up is once I get near a blacklight onstage the makeup is visible. It is very embarrassing. It's actually depressing.
My question is, does anyone know of ANYTHING that may help with the scarring? A pharmacist recommended Mederma which needs to be applied 3-4 times a day for 8 months to truly have an affect on a scar and with the frequency of my outbreaks I can't get rid of them.
This always happens to me at the worst possible times when I am stressed and I really need the money for bills- BOOM! Ob from stress. Worst timing. I hate Herpes. Anyone with advice on the scarring issue or even just general info on suppressing it- anything, I would be so thankful of your time.

Sorry to hear about your issues. I'm new here two so take my advice with a grain of salt. Others may have better advice for you.

It sounds like your problem is twofold: 1. OBs occur and 2. Scarring results. It also sounds like you can work with your scarring if you could contain your OBs. Have you tried medication like (e.g., Valtrex) to contain the OBs? If you could go on meds to contain your OBs you might be able to address the scarring though something like the pharmacist is recommending.

Just a thought...

overit-
i am new here as well, i notice that my ob's happen when i am stressed out. i have heard and i do not know if this will work for this type of scarring. i have heard that people use a vitiam e hand cream. you could try surffing the net for some ideas. i will agree with toughspot valtrex is really good stuff. i was thinking of taking it every day so that i do not have the ob's as often. i do hope that you find something to help you out. good luck. you will have to keep me posted.

I've been on Valtrex for nine months, and knock on wood, not a single OB. I had been having them once every three to four weeks, barely enough time to heal one before I got another one. Valtrex worked great for me. Talk to your doc - it's something to consider.

The meds aren't cheap, but if you're missing 3-4 days work every time you get an OB, shoot that's expensive too!

Hi Over It,

I agree that Valtrex or other antiviral drugs are probably your best bet for minimising outbreaks, visible symptoms and viral shedding. You might also check out a (much cheaper) product called H-Balm which is a combination of essential oils that can be very helpful for some people. Do a search and you'll find it. It has a pretty strong odour to it, but you could shower just before you go to work to get rid of the smell.

In the meantime, I don't know how "intimate" you get with the audience in your dancing (I'm thinking you might be an exotic dancer, who sometimes do more personal, "off-stage" dancing), but if there is ever any skin-to-skin contact between your OB area and the audience, you might want to reconsider if this is a good idea. Even if you're not having an OB there you can be contagious, and if there are any visible symptoms (even redness) you could be shedding the virus there. ToughSpot's posts can attest to the possibility that herpes could be transmitted that way. Sorry if I have the wrong impression about your work, I just thought I should mention it, just in case. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Good luck! Let us know how you make out.

TheOneInFour