How do I find out if I have type 1?
There are two types of herpes simplex: type 1 or type 2. The only way to know which you have is from a swab taken from your sore. A sexual health clinic will send the sample to a laboratory. Most clinics ask the lab to supply information on type, but some do not. In these cases, the patient will just be told that they have ‘herpes’.
Do not use the blood tests advertised on the internet. These are often incorrect – and a positive result could mean that you had a facial sore at some time, and your genital symptoms are something else.
What is the difference between type 1 and type 2?
The symptoms from both types look and feel the same. However, there are differences that depend on the area infected. Type 1 symptoms are expected to recur more frequently when the virus has been caught on the face, type 2 when it is caught on the genitals. These differences have been identified by carrying out studies on large numbers of patients. Individuals will find that they get frequent symptoms or almost none, regardless of type because immune systems vary.
How is type 1 caught on the genitals?
Many more people have herpes simplex type 1 than type 2. It causes most facial cold sore infections. When it is diagnosed on the genitals it has usually been caught from oral sex. Often the person it is caught from does not know that they get cold sores (herpes simplex type 1 cold sores), because what they experience is so mild and they have few or no symptoms at the time it is passed on.
Do I need to worry about passing on type 1 from my genitals?
It is possible to pass herpes simplex type 1 on, when you have it on the genitals, but this is very much less likely than with type 2, because type 1 is less likely to recur genitally. Fewer recurrences also mean there are fewer occasions for asymptomatic shedding.
Another reason why it is less likely, is because many more partners will already have caught type 1 at some time, and will have antibody protection. It does not matter on which part of the body they caught it, the antibodies cover the whole body. Whether it is herpes simplex type 1 cold sores or genital sores, the antibody response is the same.
By age 25, six out of ten people in the UK have caught type 1 somewhere on the body, mostly on the mouth. In most other countries the rate is even higher. A study from Australia found that by age 35 over 85 in 100 women and 77 in 100 men have type 1. This is likely to be similar in other developed countries.
What if a partner already has type 2?
If partners have different types and catch a second type from each other, symptoms will probably be mild or non-existent and they will probably never know. This is because the antibodies for one type will have some effect on the other type as well. This is called ‘partial protection’.
Treating type 1 infection
Herpes simplex type 1 on the genitals can be treated in exactly the same way that any genital infection is treated – or as any cold sore is treated. Antiviral medication is often prescribed. LomaHerpan cream, can also be very helpful. See cold sore self-help tips here. Like all herpes simplex sores, symptoms will heal in time with no treatment at all.
Other herpes questions
Getting diagnosed with genital herpes
Passing on/transmitting herpes
Genital herpes, pregnancy and childbirth
This page was published on 20 July 2026
