If you already have herpes simplex 1 (cold sores) .. what is the likelihood that you would get the same virus in the genital area? or is your body already protecting itself?

Very unlikely. Yes.: If a person's first HSV-1 infection was on her lips, and she developed (and continues to have) a good level of protective antibodies to HSV-1, then she should not be able to get a new HSV-1 infection elsewhere on her body. She can get an HSV-2 infection elsewhere, if he has never had HSV-2. However, life is not 100% predictable, so nature might seem to "break the rules" sometimes.