There's little difference in the viruses themselves. They're simply different strains of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). HSV-1 is most often found on the mouth and face area and seems to be most "at home" in that area. HSV-2 is most often found in the genital and "boxer shorts" area and seems to be most "at home" there.
However, both can take hold in the other area; that is, you can get HSV-1 in the genital area or HSV-2 in the mouth/face area...or anywhere else on the body, for that matter. However it will remain the same strain regardless of where it is located on the body. In other words, HSV-1 won't suddenly become HSV-2 just because it's in the genital area; it's still HSV-1 no matter where it is.
Sometimes people report lighter, less frequent outbreaks when they have one of these strains in an area outside its "preferred location," but that's not always true. Hope that helps.
TheOneInFour
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