How to treat a cold sore

Cold sores, sometimes called fever blisters can be awful. They are painful but also can be embarrassing because they are really visible and you can't cover them up. Caused by the HSV-1 Herpes virus, the body responds with an initial painful and often sever outbreak which most people experienced in childhood. The virus does not ever leave the body completely which is why you will have recurrences periodically. The outbreak of cold sores are usually triggered by common factors including cold and flu, sun exposure, stress, dietary stress, hormonal changes, or changes in your immunity.

Before the appearance of the actual blister, most people will have a "prodrome" which is a set of symptoms often reported to be a tingling, itching or burning sensation a few hours or a day or two before. This can be the best time to start treating because you can minimize the size of the sore, reduce the pain, and shorten the duration if you start before the sore actually appears.

The actual outbreak are usually fluid-filled blisters that appear on the lips or mouth that swell and then open up to a sore before they scab over and heal on their own. Most cold sores will heal within a week to ten days on their own. They hurt and are often uncomfortable but treatment after outbreak will help minimize the pain, and hopefully speed the healing to get you back and smiling in no time.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Nothing yet -read on to find out what treatments may work for you or those you love.

1. For most people, cold sores are annoying and mildly painful but the outbreaks are manageable (one or two blisters) and occur only periodically. Medications such as FDA-approved Abreva® which is available over-the-counter can help shorten the duration and reduce the severity of the outbreak if you begin treatment when you feel the tingle or burn before the blisters appear. If the blister or sore has already appeared, you can treat the spot to help lessen the symptoms and help them heal. Most OTC medicines will help reduce pain, and keep the sore moist to prevent cracking and bleeding. Herpecin-L, Zilactin, Campho-Phenique, Blistex, Carmex and ChapStick can all help make you feel better and help the sore heal. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen will also be helpful in reducing the pain.

2. Seeking medical care: Most people do not experience cold sores so frequently or so painful that they require medical care. But do talk to your doctor about them because prescription medications do exist that can help you minimize the outbreaks and reduce their severity. If your doctor prescribes the medicine it will be great to have on hand for your next outbreak.

3. When you have an outbreak, try to reduce stress, sun exposure and get your sleep as all of these factors may have helped trigger the outbreak in the first place. It will heal. Keep the area moist with a balm to reduce cracking and so that you can keep smiling because this thing is painful but fortunately it is temporary. To prevent spreading the virus to others and making your own outbreak worse, make sure to wash your hands often and avoid touching your face or the sores. Do not share cups or silverware when you have an outbreak to.

Tips & Warnings

• You can help reduce your outbreaks by avoiding triggers that often cause them. The most common triggers are sun exposure, dietary stress, stress, hormonal changes, and immune system challenges.
• If you experience high fever, or your eye(s) become affected, seek medical treatment immediately.
• With any medications, be sure to follow all directions and use with consideration of your own medical conditions and history.

Resources

• USPharmacist.com
• WebMD.com