Syphilis isn't a permanent infection and that's not what you were asking about.

I didn't say it was. Left untreated it can last for a long time in the body, causing damage, and being passed on. The damage caused by it can definitely be permanent if left to go on long enough.

I thought we were discussing incurable infections such as HSV or HPV.

The point about Syphilis was simply something that happened to a friend of mine. I made it to point out that STD's aren't simply nasty/painful things that happen to our genitals. Whether they are permanent or not, the consequence of them can be far reaching. In the case of Syphilis, if you think nerve/brain damage from syphilis is a rare horror story, then you would be quite wrong. It is actually quite common.

However typically speaking, the permanent effects of temporary std's entirely depends on how long they are left untreated. In the case of my friend, he went untreated for 7 months, which is his own fault for not getting regularly tested.

It is honestly quite terrifying how uneducated this subreddit is on this topic. Not pointing fingers at you specifically, but the general responses this thread has been getting.

If your next sexual partner doesn't transmit it to you, then the one after that probably will.. That's how common they are.

It's unlikely. I don't sleep with anyone without them getting tested first. I even make my regular partners get tested frequently.

There's always a risk there, of course, but they don't seem to mind getting tested.

Also, could you please copy the source where herpes reduces life expectancy?

This is the second time I am saying it, but that's not what I said.

What I said was herpes can cause various conditions, which can indirectly shorten lifespan, conditions such as nerve damage, and having a higher risk at infection (open sores are perfect breeding sites for various bacteria and entry points for other viruses). These are just two, for instance.