Genital Herpes Infection Pictures - 43 Photos & Images

Many people with genital herpes never have sores. Or they have very mild symptoms that go unnoticed or are mistaken for insect bites or another skin condition. If signs and symptoms do occur during the first outbreak, they can be severe. This first outbreak usually happens within 2 days to 2 weeks of being infected.

General symptoms may include:
Decreased appetite
Fever
General sick feeling (malaise)
Muscle aches in the lower back, buttocks, thighs, or knees
Swollen and tender lymph nodes in the groin during an outbreak

Genital symptoms include small, painful blisters filled with clear or straw-colored fluid. They are usually found:
In women, blisters may be on the outer vaginal lips (labia), vagina, cervix, around the anus, and on the thighs or buttocks.
In men, blisters may be on the penis, scrotum, around the anus, on the thighs or buttocks.
In both genders, blisters may be on the tongue, mouth, eyes, gums, lips, fingers, and other parts of the body.
Before the blisters appear, there may be tingling, burning, itching, or pain at the site where the blisters will appear.
When the blisters break, they leave shallow ulcers that are very painful. These ulcers crust over and heal in 7 to 14 days or more.

Other symptoms may include:
Painful urination
Women may have vaginal discharge or may be unable to empty the bladder and need a urinary catheter

A second outbreak can appear weeks or months later. It is usually less severe and goes away sooner than the first outbreak. Over time, the number of outbreaks may decrease.