It's my understanding that you get the shingles, and herpes simplex outbreaks when you are generally run down or over exposed to stress on your body. You must be careful that they don't spread into your eyes, so be quite careful there. L - lysine taken regularly took the sting out of the herpes that I regularly get on my face if I have been exposed to too much sunlight. Some people used to call them 'cold sores' and both are derived from varied strains of the chicken pox virus to the best of my knowledge. I would go to a doctor post-haste.