Herpes: widespread but rarely talked about
Unfortunately herpes still remains a taboo subject for many of those affected because the illness is – often unjustly – associated with sex.
"For 30 years, I suffered from the symptoms of cold sores", says Caroline Schira (35), CEO of Diamond Heels AG. "The cold sores just come back as soon as one bout is over. They really bother me, as I am the CEO of Diamond Heels AG, a fashion company. I have meetings with customers and licensees every day, meaning it's important that my outward appearance is faultless and sophisticated."
A weakened immune system is the #1 Trigger
In Caroline’s case, the herpes outbreaks began when hen she was just five. Caroline knew that she could count on another outbreak when she was under a lot of stress or had a flu is setting in.
This is typical for the virus. An immune system that is weakened by stress or hormonal changes make the virus' job easier and can result in cold sores.
With Caroline’s burgeoning start-up company she was always on the go,. Even a doctor, who prescribed some well-known herpes drugs, was not able to help – the cold sore outbreaks continued. The more pressure she was under, the more frequent the outbreaks were:
"I was frustrated and had stopped looking for a solution. The recurring outbreaks gnawed away at my self-esteem. I felt ugly and unattractive. I was starting to think I should resign. Then I met an entrepreneur who gave me a sample for a new gel his company had developed, to prevent the symptoms of lip herpes, called lipivir®. I did not have a lot of hope that it would help, but decided I'd give it a try."
"That's what made it even more exciting when the blisters actually stayed away! Even after 6 months, I was still free of cold sores, as long as I used the gel regularly," explained the Swiss CEO.
Best results with regular use
The gel must be used regularly to achieve adequate protection. Caroline knows this from experience:
"After 9 months, I became more careless and kept forgetting to use the product regularly. I saw the effect right away, as the cold sores quickly returned."
She never wants to go back to the time her herpes symptoms were visible to everyone: "As someone with frequent outbreaks, I now make sure I always have a tube to hand."
Now that Caroline has her cold sores under control, she feels like a stigma has been lifted:
"Now people see my product when I talk to them!"