Can herpes be transmitted through skin contact

Herpes is passed directly from the affected area of skin. This could be the genitals, face or hands. It needs direct skin to skin contact, with friction, when the virus is present. It then may appear at the place the virus was rubbed in. So if it is caught genitally, It does not travel through the body and appear on the face.

Herpes simplex gets in easily through mucous membranes. These are the moist skin inside the mouth and genital-anal area. Sometimes it gets into ordinary skin, on other parts of the body, if there is a cut or break in the skin. This can be on the fingers/hands, knees, etc., but only if these come into direct contact with the affected area of another person. A finger sore is called a herpetic whitlow.

Oral sex, when the virus is active on the face, allows the virus to be passed from the face of one person to the genitals of another. Or if one person has it genitally, oral sex will mean it is possible for a partner to catch it on the face.

You can pass it on from the affected area, when the virus is present on the skin surface: from the first warning signs that a recurrence is starting (tingles, burning skin sensations, aches, stabbing pains), through the time when there are sores or blisters, until they have healed and fresh skin has grown back.

Get this two-page summary which covers the basics.

About six in ten adults by age 25 carry herpes simplex virus type 1 [4] [5] and one in ten carries type 2.[6] [7] Even more people carry herpes simplex virus in older age groups – but most don’t know. Only around one in three of those infected – with either type – is aware of this.

What are the chances of getting herpes from an infected partner?

You are less likely to get this from a partner than you think!  This person is a safer partner than many others because they have been diagnosed. This means they will avoid sex from the moment they notice the start of an outbreak, until the time when it has totally cleared up. A man with genital herpes can protect a partner easily if his outbreaks appear in the area covered by a condom. (See below.)

What are the risks of catching herpes?

Exact risk is variable: women are half as likely to infect men as the other way round (though a man can protect a partner very well with a condom – see below). 

A person who gets warning feelings (prodromes) is not likely to ever pass it on as they can avoid sex until the feelings have gone, or the sores have healed.

How long after the symptoms disappear before I can have sex?

Don’t have sex from the first warning signs that a recurrence is starting (tingles, burning skin sensations, aches, stabbing pains).  Wait until the skin has healed and fresh skin has grown back. Some people leave it 24 hours after total healing to allow the new skin to thicken.

Can using a condom prevent transmission of herpes simplex?

Yes, it can make a big difference. Herpes simplex virus cannot get through a condom. The condom should be put on the penis before it touches the partner’s sensitive (genital) skin. If the virus is active on the skin outside the area covered by the condom, transmission may still happen.

Could I pass herpes simplex to a partner if I have no symptoms? (Asymptomatic shedding)

This sometimes happens but is not likely. When the virus is inactive (dormant) inside the nerve cells it cannot be caught by a partner. If there is virus on the skin surface where you get your symptoms, it may be passed on.

Before the outbreak begins, there may be a tingly or itchy feeling at the place where this will happen. This means that diagnosed people are less likely to pass it on when there is nothing to see on the skin, because they are usually more aware of these prodromes (the warning feelings). Whereas undiagnosed people often ignore highly infectious and obvious symptoms, because they do not know what they are. This is not “asymptomatic” as you can feel something and you should not have sex at this time.

Asymptomatic shedding means “without sensation” and a scientific test can virus on the skin when the person feels nothing. This applies to type 2. Type 1 doesn’t ‘like’ the genital region and is less likely to recur and to shed asymptomatically. This happens only in some people, mostly in the first six months. After a year or two, if a person is not having many outbreaks, they will rarely have virus on the skin without symptoms.

An antibody test (blood test) might show that your partner has already caught one of the herpes simplex viruses – although all these tests, whether you get it from clinics or off the internet, are very unreliable and results should be treated with caution. If the test shows your partner has antibodies, there is a 1 in ten chance this is wrong. If it is correct, it means the partner will have either total or partial protection. Subscribers can request our leaflet explaining the antibody test in full.

What is the risk of transmission between recurrences (asymptomatic shedding or viral shedding)?

Studies have shown that virus may sometimes be found on an infected area, even when there are no visible symptoms. This is called asymptomatic shedding. If enough virus is present when direct skin contact (sexual contact) takes place, a partner may become infected.

The fewer recurrences a person has, the less chance there is of asymptomatic shedding.

Asymptomatic shedding tends to decline with time. It may happen during the first year and is much less likely after that. The virus most often transmitted during the first months of a new relationship. But partners can be together for years without the virus passing from one to the other. Studies have shown that a majority of people catch it from someone who does not know that he or she has got this virus. Asymptomatic shedding is something that people find difficult to understand – there is a lot more detail in the transmission leaflet you can choose when you join (you decide if you want it sent by post or by email).

Is herpes contagious by touch or airborne?

Can herpes be transmitted through hand touch?