Genital herpes is a chronic infection characterized by periodic reactivations. It is able a cause both a symptomatic disease in the host and to generate an asymptomatic viral expression. Genital herpes is currently the first cause of ulcerative genital lesions and constitutes a significant health problem leading to considerable clinical, psychological, social and economic consequences. This review is intended as an update on the therapeutic options for this condition in immunoincompetent patients, emphasizing the route of administration, the dosing interval, duration of treatment and time to resolution of the lesions. Moreover, the infection prevention strategies and treatment under particular situations such as pregnancy are analyzed.