In response:

We would like to sincerely thank Dr Bolton for her insightful comments. We do agree with the theory that occlusion therapy may be beneficial not only toward herpes simplex wounds but also herpes zoster wounds. Our preliminary data suggests that the basement membrane is disrupted in both herpes type lesions, consequently causing partial-thickness wounds. Theoretically, this would support occlusion as a viable treatment option in every type of herpetic wound.

In addition, occlusion therapy not only hastens the rate of healing but also reduces pain during the treatment period. Clearly, pain is a crucial problem when treating zoster wounds and we hope that occlusion treatments may be implemented to aid in a safe, speedy, and pain-free recovery from all wounds secondary to the human herpes virus.

With this information, we hope that novel dressings and ointments will be manufactured to put into practice the theory of occlusion on any herpetic wound, despite where it is located on the body.

Asha R. Patel, BS

Paolo Romanelli, MD

Brenda Roberts

Robert S. Kirsner, MD, PhD