Herpes or infected abrasion

im going to try after i shower. the closer i get, the more unclear it gets but the further away the picture is the harder it is to see in general

How many days after did it appear? And how long have you had it for

there was a small scratch immediately after, but it never bled or anything. i did get an incredibly mild yeast infection, and about a day into that i noticed the way this looks. its in the area the scratch was in, but a little bigger

and its been a total of maybe a week at this point. it was never blister-y or oozing

Do you have symptoms? itching or burning? have you tried putting anything on it like a cream? If you get a better pic might be helpful

this is the best i can get. its the only lesion, was never blistered, went from a scratch to this. no itching or any other symptoms that really stand out to me honestly. my doctor said no creams or anything until she can look at it on monday

by the appearance of the second picture, it looks herpetic BUT can't judge anything by pictures alone. I suggest getting a swab but swabs are mostly accurate within 2 days of the lesion. Keep an eye out of changes etc and show the doc the pictures!

Definitely requesting a swab but I know that it very well might come back inconclusive. I know blood work is an option but from what I've read some doctor's recommend against it because of the prevalence of false positives??? Part of me is fully convinced it IS herpes and part of me is fully convinced it ISN'T. I know it's a highly stigmatized virus and that it's incredibly manageable and a lot more hyped up than it should be really, but the stigma is also super ingrained in me so its HARD. I have OCD and anxiety and I literally have not been able to stop since I saw this on me. I'm incredibly stressed out and will be until I get the results and even then, probably after depending on what they are. I've been in a (monogamous) relationship and we don't use condoms. I've been screened for, and clear of, STD's regularly but WASN'T aware that HSV isn't included in those screenings until the research i've been doing in the last few days. I know that (if it's herpes) I've had it a while and this is simply my first outbreak, OR my current partner has had it, been unaware, and that's how I got it but I ALSO know that a lot of people are unwilling to accept thats how their partner got it so there's A LOT going through my head.

But I'll reiterate (trying to keep myself calm) that this is the ONLY lesion I have and from what I've read, first outbreaks tend to be the most awful with lots of clusters whereas this is a singular spot that I'm 99.9% wasn't ever a blister but a scratch from my boyfriend's nails. I'm also SO SORRY to blow your spot up, but there's really no one in my life i'm comfortable bringing this up to quite yet.

Hey! Don't be sorry, the stigma around it is the only reason people freak out over herpes. The stigma all started in the 70s when a company made advertisement for medication and created a stigma around it. before that no one cared. and yes it is much more difficult to accept when you have OCD and a situation like this can cause excessive doubt and worry. I actually have OCD so I understand how troubling it is. But either way, you are going to be ok. You will realize that life goes on and LOTS of people have it (they just dont speak about it). Some CBT might be useful for you.

Also, if your bf has ever had cold sores in the past, the virus may shed on his lips and it may be asympomatic which might cause an HSV1 outbreak on your genital area (if he performs oral) that's why it's important to get an accurate swab. Blood tests should be accurate 3 months after exposure too. Your bf can get tested which might give you some answers. And HSV1 on your genitals is known to be very mild and might not ever cause a reoccurence. Personally, I didn't even know HSV1 can do that, I was never taught that growing up. I always assumed genital herpes was just from type 2. And it's crazy because the only way to avoid it is from abstaining from oral sex completely. Anyway feel free to talk to me whenever you need to!

My first outbreak was one lesion that looked similar to yours, it's difficult at first but if it is herpes then you have had such a mild outbreak so recurrences are literally going to be nothing

I'm in CBT...stopped going for a while stupidly but have been back in fro a couple of months at this point. this of course all happens in between appointments and my therapist cant get me in until june 2nd. im honestly more worried about the reaction from my boyfriend if it comes back positive because many arent so understanding.

im really just genuinely worried about telling my boyfriend if it is. ive been in tears over it multiple times a day the last few days and havent been able to eat. im really hoping it js just an infected scratch so i dont have to have that conversation because, while im fully aware its not as big of a deal as people make it out to be, i will not be able to calmly have that conversation

How long have you been together? If it is the case, he could have been the one to give it to you. So there is no reason to feel that he needs to be the one to "accept" you.

We've been together 8 months at this point and been each other's only sex partners the entire time. We essentially live together, and if we aren't working we're at home together so I trust that we're monogamous. So while I know it's possible I could have had it prior and it just been dormant until now, I know it's MORE likely that he has either hsv1 or 2 and was experiencing asymptomatic shedding and transmitted it to me without knowing. It genuinely wouldn't change a thing for me, I just worry that he'd somehow take it as me blaming him.

Just got home from my appointment. My doctor did the swab, but said she wouldn't be surprised if it came back negative. I also had a yeast infection in the last 10 days(its been a hell of a time for my vulva) and apparently mg skin is dry from the yeast and has several fissures. She prescribed a topical ointment foe that. She'll call me no matter the results so I don't panic every time the phone rings.