Tired Of The Embarrassment And Low Self Esteem Cold Sores Create? When You Have A Fever Blister Outbreak There’s Only One Thing That Seems Important - Finding Out How To Get Rid Of Cold Sores, And FAST?
Cold sores, (which are also known as fever blisters) are caused by a virus. Unfortunately they cannot be “cured”, but there are solutions for treating a cold sore to help bring relief to the sufferer.
They usually appear on the lips, but not always, sometimes they can appear around the nose. They are highly contagious but not dangerous.
The virus that causes cold sores is herpes simplex 1, a cousin of herpes simplex 2, which causes the well-known sexual disease. About 80% of the people in North America have dormant (inactive) herpes 1 virus living permanently in their body. The virus typically resides in a dormant state within the nerve cells of your spinal cord. The body’s immune system is normally able to keep the virus in its inactive state.
When an infected person is exposed to a “trigger”, or if the immune system is weakened, then the virus quickly multiplies, and spreads down the nerve cell and out onto the skin, usually on the lips. This produces the characteristic tingling sensation and subsequent clusters of blisters.
About 60% of the population have suffered cold sores at some point in their lives. On average, people who get cold sores have two or three episodes a year, but this figure can vary significantly from person to person.
There are several cold sore remedies that are available without a prescription for treating a cold sore and which you can buy at your local pharmacy. These products are usually either liquids, ointments, gels, tablets or balms.
They can contain lip moisturizers and protectants or anesthetics that help to reduce the pain of cold sores and prevent cracking and excessive drying of the lips.
Although these products may help in relieving some symptoms like the itching and the pain, but they do not make the cold sore heal more quickly.
5 Tips To Help You Get Rid Of Your Cold Sore
1) Most importantly, eat foods high in Lysine, such as cheese. Lysine can reduce how long the cold sore will last. It can also reduce how often you get outbreaks, be aware though that studies are still pending for this. But eating your dairy products is good for you anyways, so it won’t hurt you. Alternatively, you can buy a Lysine supplement from your local health food store or pharmacy and take that to shorten the cold sore’s duration.
2) Don’t ever itch it (and never pick it!). This can cause the sore to spread and then last longer. Some people find that just applying pressure when it is uncomfortable helps suppress the itchy symptoms.
3) If you apply Witch Hazel oil (which is easily found at your local pharmacy) to the place where you feel the cold sore coming on, it will stop it dead in its tracks. It keeps it from spreading and there will be less pain.
4) You can also use aloe or a cornstarch paste of cornstarch and water. Both have healing powers to help clear up your sores.
5) Apply ice, it will make the cold sore either not appear or it will appear but smaller. Apply it a few times a day when you first feel it coming on. Later you can apply a hot cloth to it, to reduce the pain.
Alternatively, there are over the counter creams that are available at your pharmacy that you can apply to your cold sore that can bring relief, just ask your local pharmacist which ones they would recommend you try.
The main thing that you need to remember when treating a cold sore is that the best policy is prevention of the cold sore. Like I mentioned above, once you have the virus you can never get rid of it, but one thing you can do is to be pro-active and take measures to decrease the possibility of a reoccurance. One of the best ways I have found is to make sure you are getting enough Lysine in your diet, that really helps to reduce the chances of another breakout.
There are many causes of cold sores. Stress, illness, injury and winter weather are just a few. They are not the actual causes of cold sores however. You can think of these as cold sore triggers.
Simple, easy-to-read information about the Herpes and Cold Sore virus.
Propolis Cuts Cold Sore Healing Time by Half
Most conventional cold sore treatments are only effective at the tingling stage, before the blisters occur. Once the blister has reared its ugly head it can take up to 10 days for the cold sore to run its course.
Important Facts About Your Cold Sore
Whether you call them cold sores, fever blisters or oral herpes, they are all the same infection. Cold sores can appear anywhere the virus can get through your skin. The lip area is usually the first infection site.
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