Westover Heights Clinic - Symptom Relief

    The physical symptoms of herpes can range from very painful to slightly bothersome to none at all. Suggestions for relieving some of the symptoms are included in this chapter. These are not cures, and the suggestions are not verified by scientific experiments.

Loose clothing, cotton underwear
Mechanism of action: allows air to circulate more freely around the genitals. This speeds drying of the lesions and reduces chaffing.  Synthetic fabrics don't "breathe" well. Women: use pantyhose with cotton crotches when possible.  Better yet, wear longer skirts with no panties.
Use: self-explanatory
Precautions: none
Availability: everywhere 
Cost: depends upon how fashionable you are! 

Drying agents, such as Burrow’s solution, and cornstarch
Mechanism of action: speeds the drying of lesions by absorbing excess moisture.
Use: dissolve drying agents in water, using directions on the package.  A good method is to use a sitz bath (a small amount of water used to soak the genital area only as opposed to the whole body.)  Sprinkle cornstarch lightly over the genitals.
Precautions: soaking too often or too long may make the outbreak worse. Two 15-minute soaks a day is probably enough.
Availability: can be purchased at your local drugstore. Special sitz bath tubs are also available -- new mothers with sore stitches and people with hemorrhoids also buy these tubs so you need not feel self-conscious.
Cost: $1.00 to $5.00 
Note: A total body warm bath may help lesions feel better and be relaxing.  A bubble bath, however, may be irritating.

Sprays that contain anesthetic (pain killing) agents
Mechanism of action: spray is applied to the skin; the nerve endings it touches will be temporarily numbed. These same products are sold to relieve pain of sunburn, hemorrhoids, and other skin problems that produce pain.
Use: using a spray makes it possible to avoid touching the lesions.
Precautions: sprays can cause skin irritation on some people.
Availability: can be found in drugstores and grocery stores. These products generally contain an active ingredient ending in -caine (e.g., xylocaine, procaine, etc.) Ask the pharmacist for guidance in choosing a product if you have trouble choosing.
Cost: $5.00

Here are some miscellaneous suggestions for symptom relief that may sound a bit strange but do work for some people.
Tannic acid: found in black tea, has been found to be useful in reducing itching and pain.  Loose tea can be put in the bath, or a moist tea bag can be placed against the sores similar to how it is used for sunburn to reduce pain.
Ice: applied directly to the area of the outbreak has been reported by some people to lessen the severity of an outbreak, and, if used during prodrome may stop the outbreak from coming on. You may have difficulty picturing ice applied to the genitals, but it is not difficult to do.  Put some cracked ice in a plastic bag, tie it off tightly, and wrap it in a thin towel.  You now have an ice pack. Put it inside your underwear to hold it in place. Oral outbreaks may also be helped by ice application.

    For women, particularly, urine passing over lesions can cause a stinging, burning sensation, as the acidic urine contacts openings in the skin.  Pouring water over the genitals while urinating, or urinating into a tub of water (a sitz bath would also work), helps dilute the acid and washes it away.  Increasing fluid intake will also make the urine less concentrated and less likely to burn.