In this forum topic, a few readers have been discussing whether or not you can get herpes on your hands. There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding the matter, so I thought we should clear some of that up.

As I responded in the forum, it's definitely possible to contract herpes on your hands from others (it's not necessary for you to have an open cut, as one reader suggested – you could easily contract the virus from touching someone with an outbreak, even if your own skin was unbroken). It is also possible to move herpes outbreaks around your own body through your hands, which is why it's very important to wash your hands thoroughly after touching even your own lesions.

Herpes outbreaks on the hands (particularly the fingertips) are common amongst health care professionals, especially dentists, who are likely to touch cold sores. This occupational hazard is referred to as "herpetic whitlow," although medically speaking, it is still the same virus (see how "herpes" can sound so much less "bad" or "dirty" when given another name?). Herpetic whitlow also sometimes occurs in children with HSV-1 (oral herpes) who suck their thumb, thereby transferring the outbreak to their hand.