With winter in full swing and the cold, dry air unavoidable, cold sore outbreaks are frequent. Cold sores generally show up on your lips and around your mouth area1. During this time, the area around the cold sore will generally appear red and swollen
Cold sores (generally) will not appear inside your mouth. It is good to keep in mind that if you ever experience a sore inside of your mouth, or on your tongue, it’s possibly a canker sore
Cold sores generally appear around the lip, while canker sores typically form inside your mouth
Simple canker sores last around a week1, while cold sores generally last about two weeks2
Cold sores are caused by a virus, and are contagious — canker sores are not