Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCold SoresCanker SoresChancre SoresDiagnosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Cold Sores
Canker Sores
Chancre Sores
Diagnosis
Cold sores,canker sores, andchancresare common sores that have both similarities and differences. All appear in or around the mouth and chancres may also appear on the genitals. However, these three types of sores have different causes and treatments.
This article looks at the defining qualities of each type of sore and ways to manage outbreaks.
Cold Sores (Oral Herpes)
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Cold sores (oral herpes) are small, painful blisters. They’re mostly found around the lips. They are also known as fever blisters.
Causes
Both HSVs are highly contagious. They’re most contagious through an active sore. But herpes can be transmitted evenwhen you don’t have sores.
It’s possible to get an oral herpes infection through sexual activity. But HSV-1 is more often picked up in childhood. For example, a child can get it from a parent’s kiss. You can also get oral herpes from infected objects like eating utensils and razors.
The herpes virus doesn’t cause chancres or canker sores.
Symptoms
Over the course of a week to 10 days, cold sores typically:
Treatment
Once you’re infected with a herpes virus, it stays in your body forever. It may then cause outbreaks from time to time.
During outbreaks, you can treat painful sores with gels containing lidocaine or benzocaine. Over-the-counter creams containing docosanol may shorten the duration of an outbreak.
Prescription antiviral medications can suppress the virus and help prevent outbreaks. These include:
Is It a Cold Sore or a Pimple?
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Canker sores (aphthousulcers) are ulcers in the soft tissues inside the mouth.
The exactcauseof canker sores is unclear. Triggers may include:
Canker sores aren’t contagious. But they’re sometimes tied to contagious illnesses. For example, canker sores are more common in people with acuteHIV infection. That’s due to their weakened immune system.
Canker sores are usually round and white with a red border. They can be painful for several days.
Most canker sores don’t need treatment. They generally heal on their own in three weeks or less.
Larger or more painful canker sores can be treated with over-the-counter creams or gels with ingredients such as:
Your healthcare provider may prescribe a mouthwash containing ingredients that help kill microbes.
Oral steroid medications may also be prescribed for canker sores that don’t respond to other treatments. A prescription mouth rinse with the steroid dexamethasone can help decrease pain and swelling.
In some cases, you may need a procedure called cautery, which destroys or burns the canker sore.
If underlying conditions are contributing to your canker sores, treating those conditions may also improve your canker sores.
1:27Click Play to Learn About the Potential Causes of Canker Sores
1:27
Click Play to Learn About the Potential Causes of Canker Sores
If you have a canker sore that is especially large, painful, lasts more than three weeks, or comes with a high fever, get medical attention.
Frequent canker sores can alert you to health problems. For example, they may be the first obvious sign of a nutritional deficiency or immune-related problem.
How to Get Rid of Canker Sores
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoReproduced with permission from ©DermNet NZ www.dermnetnz.org 2022
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from ©DermNet NZ www.dermnetnz.org 2022
Chancres are the first stage ofsyphilis, which is asexually transmitted infection(STI).Syphilis chancres most often appear on the genitals. They can also appear on the:
Chancres are round, firm, and usually painless. Because they don’t hurt, they often go unnoticed. This is particularly true when they’re in the mouth.
Withouttesting for syphilis, someone can be infected for a long time before noticing symptoms.
Oral sex plays a large role in the syphilis epidemic. That’s due to chancres in the mouth.
Sincechancresounds much likecanker, the terms are easy to confuse. But chancres are most often calledchancres, while cankers are calledcanker sores. That can help you keep them straight.
Chancres don’t usually hurt, and they will go away on their own without treatment, usually in 3 to 6 weeks.The underlying condition, however, requires treatment. Untreated syphilis can cause serious health problems as it progresses.
The first line treatment for syphilis is an antibiotic such as penicillin or doxycycline.The antibiotic destroys the bacteria responsible for the infection.
Symptoms of Syphilis
Is a chancroid the same as a chancre?
Diagnosing Cold Sores, Canker Sores, and Chancres
Your healthcare provider will be able to tell the difference between a cold sore, canker sore, or chancre based on your symptoms and the location of the lesion. Cold sores, for example, typically appear outside of the mouth on the border around the lips, while canker sores occur inside the lips and mouth.
Cold sores and canker sores also look different. Canker sores are typically round and white or yellow in color with a red border. Cold sores appear in clusters, while canker sores are typically a single lesion.
Chancres differ from cold sores and canker sores because they are typically painless. Though they can resemble a canker sore, they don’t always appear in the mouth like canker sores. Chancres are firm to the touch; canker sores are soft and shallow, and cold sores are raised and filled with fluid.
If your healthcare provider suspects you have herpes, they may order a blood test, a biopsy, or a virus culture called PCR.Early syphilis can be diagnosed with a blood test.
Summary
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine: InformedHealth.org.Cold cores: Overview.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Oral herpes.
Cedars Sinai.Everything you ever wanted to know about canker sores.
Vaillant L, Samimi M.[Aphthous ulcers and oral ulcerations].Presse Med.2016;45(2):215-226. doi:10.1016/j.lpm.2016.01.005
National Library of Medicine.Canker sores (mouth ulcers): Learn More – What can you do if you have a canker sore?
Edgar NR, Saleh D, Miller RA.Recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A review.J Clin Aesthet Dermatol.2017;10(3):26-36.
Demir FT, Salaeva K, Altunay IK, Yalcın O.An extraordinary case of syphilis presenting with a labial ulcer.Saudi Med J.2016;37(11):1261-1264. doi:10.15537/smj.2016.11.15674
National Library of Medicine.Syphilis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2016.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.Fever blisters & canker sores.
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