Are Canker Sores Contagious?

I see this question constantly on forums and answer sites all over

the internet. “Are canker sores contagious?!”

It’s an understandable question, especially when you’re young and dating. Either you’re the one with the canker sore and want to know what to tell people when they ask, or you’re dating someone with a

canker sore and want to make sure you don’t get it yourself.

There’s a short answer and a long answer to this.

The long answer: This is an extremely common

misconception about canker sores. So much so, it’s often

considered common knowledge. But like most

common knowledge, it’s not true.

This comes from the prevailing but unfortunate confusion

between canker sores and herpes. Anybody who has spent any time

on this site knows I spend about 90% of my time debunking

this myth. So much so that I actually got a herpes test just to prove the myth wrong. You can

see the results here.

Long story short… I don’t have herpes. And I’ve gotten canker

sores my whole life.

Canker sores are an immune system dysfunction, and are not

caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Now, a viral or bacterial infection in your body can trigger

your immune system response, which in turn can bring on canker

sores, but it’s not a firsthand cause.

I’ve dated many women in my life and I’ve never given a single one of them a canker sore. Not

one. Ever.

How do you know if it’s a canker sore or herpes?

There are three telltale signs:

1. Location. Cold sores appear mostly on the lips, and canker sores appear mostly inside the mouth. There are exceptions in

both cases, but the overwhelming majority of the

time, this is the case.

2. Blistering. Cold sores form as fluid-filled blisters. Canker

sores do not.

3. Clustering. This one is most important. Herpes lesions, which

only rarely appear inside the mouth (known as intraoral lesions), always appear in

clusters of ulcers, usually 4 or more. Canker sores very rarely

appear this way, less than 10% of canker sores will cluster like this.

I wrote extensively on this topic in my last post.

So… Are canker sores contagious?

If you or your partner have a single canker sore, or multiple canker sores in different parts

of your mouth, kiss away. You’re not going to give it to someone

else or catch it. If what you have appears on your lips in clusters of blisters – you might want to just hold hands for a few days.

 And see your doctor. There are some medicines you can take to reduce the symptoms and make

them go away faster.

Now, spread the word about this. We’ve gotta bust this myth

somehow.

For more details

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http://www.cankerboy.com/