How To Get Rid Of Cold Sore
Posted: Saturday, December 09, 2006
by Andrew Kawaski
First, we're going to go over some basic information about cold sores, then how to prevent cold sores, and then how to get rid of cold sore by treatment.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1, a virus that once it is contracted will be retained by your body forever, occasionally re-occuring on your face--also, don't confuse herpes type 1 with herpes type 2, of the genital variety, they are NOT the same and having one will NOT cause the other. The virus remains dormant in certain nerve cells of the body until it is activated by one or several of the factors we will cover below. The virus is usually contracted early in childhood. Unfortunately, our body's immune system isn't able to completely get rid of the infection and the virus remains in our body, usually hidden in a nerve located near the cheekbone.
The better you can recognize an oncoming cold sore the more you will know about how to get rid of cold sore. Symptoms may not appear for several weeks after the first exposure (likely before age 12) to the virus. Adults, however, generally develop symptoms when the virus is triggered. Some people may experience a "prodrome" episode, or the early signs and symptoms before the full-blown syndrome, within 8 to 72 hours after reactivation of the virus. It consists of pain, burning, tingling, or itching before the first blisters appear. (About 25% to 30% of patients do not experience prodrome symptoms, however, and the first sign is the appearance of a cold sore.) Within the next 24 hours, fluid-filled blisters appear, eventually leaking fluid, cracking, and forming a yellow crust, accompanied by itching or burning.
The Stages Of A Cold Sore Outbreak - Cold Sore Stage :
Day 1-2 : The Tingle stage. In most cases a person's first indication that a cold sore is developing is that they notice a sense of soreness, tautness, or swelling in the location where their cold sore will ultimately form. Sometimes this same area will become slightly reddened.
Day 2-3 : The Blister stage. The first readily visible sign of cold sore formation is the appearance of several fluid filled blisters. Usually these blisters are very small (smaller in diameter than the thickness of a dime) and they usually form in a cluster that is no larger than about the size of a nickel. In some cases individual blisters coalesce with others so to form a single larger blister.
Day 4 : The Weeping stage. Cold sore blisters usually rupture soon after they have formed, resulting in a shallow reddish ulceration whose surface becomes gray. This ulcerative phase of cold sore formation can be its most painful stage. This is also the stage during which a cold sore is most contagious.
Days 5 - 8 : The Crusting stage. In those facial areas where a cold sore lesion is not kept wet by moisture from the mouth the ulcer will become dry and scab over with a brownish crust. This scabbing formation is often accompanied by an itching or burning sensation. The scab itself will often crack or break, which in turn can cause bleeding.
Days 9 - 12 : The Final Healing stage. As time progresses so will the cold sore's healing. Usually a series of scabs will form on the lesion, each one flaking off before it is replaced by a new one. Each new scab will be smaller than the previous one until finally the cold sore resolves itself fully, in most cases without scarring.
How to get rid of cold sore? Prevention is the best medicine, and it's always easier to avoid one in the first place!
The Five Most Common Causes Of Cold Sores That Can Be Prevented:
1. Sunlight-Many people are very prone to cold sores when they suffer from sunburn or spend too much time outdoors--a good sunscreen applied to the lips is your first line of defense against cold sores caused by the sun, commonly referred to as fever blisters. Limit your sun time--this is a key to cold sore prevention. Avoid 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the sun is strongest. Wear sunscreen and lip moisturizer - with UV-A and UV-B protection. SPF 15 or higher is a must. Wear a hat to avoid sun on the delicate skin of your face and mouth. Beware of reflection of sunlight from water and snow.
2. Cold and Wind-Here again, a sunscreen comes in handy. Use it liberally and often whenever you're outdoors. In extreme cold weather cover and protect your face and mouth - both with moisturizers and a scarf. Watch out for conditions that can cause dryness - your home furnace and hot showers or baths. Use gentle extra-moisturizing cleansers and hydrating masks to keep your skin moist. And, MOST IMPORTANTLY: drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. This will go a long ways towards cold sore prevention.
3. Pregnancy and menstruation-these can trigger a hormonally induced outbreak of cold sores. Hormonal changes due to menstruation can trigger cold sores. It may be that these hormonal changes can weaken your body's immune system. And while we can't control these changes, we can do things to help keep our body strong.
4. Colds or flu-Anything that lowers the body's resistance can trigger a cold sore. For cold sore prevention it all comes down to making your body as strong and healthy as it can be. A fever, a cold or the flu can leave you feeling run down and weaken your body's immune system. And a weakened immune system can lead to a cold sore episode. Avoid contact with people who have cold and flu symptoms. Wash your hands frequently to stop the spread of germs. Keep your immune system strong by eating healthy, taking vitamins and getting plenty of rest.
5. Stress-When your body is under stress, your immune system weakens. This in turn allows you to become susceptible to any nasty virus that is lurking around, including herpes, thereby harming your chance at cold sore prevention.
How To Get Rid Of Cold Sore by Treatment:
Clean the cold sore with hot soapy water (don't scratch it!) and a clean washcloth to clean the cold sore and surrounding area at least once a day. Overscrubbing, however, may cause further irritation and prolong the infection. Avoid touching the cold sore, as skin-to-skin to contact can spread the herpes infection.
Cover the cold sore with a petroleum-based product, such as pure petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to speed healing and avoid additional bacterial infection. A pain-relief product like Neosporin will work to seal in the herpes virus, minimize irritation, and keep out further infection.
The treatments for cold sores have come a long way in recent years. There are several new medications, as well as home remedy for cold sore, that not only offer relief of symptoms, but they also shorten the cold sore's life span. Some are available over the counter (Abreva, Viractin) and some by prescription only (Denivir), and sometimes a home remedy for cold sore can be effectively cooked up on your own.
How To Get Rid Of Cold Sore Through Cold Sore Home Treatment:
A home remedy for cold sores: these are too numerous to mention, and many of them simply do not work. My own experience on home remedies for cold sores is with something concocted by a close friend of mine, and even though I've never been big on home remedies I must say that this cold sore home treatment worked both times for me, and even more impressive is I've seen it work on about 25 other people she's tried it on, consistently! I've got a whole blog covering various home remedies, and I mention my friend Grace's solution for the matter at the bottom of this post:
Cold Sores Home Remedies - Get Rid of Your Cold Sore Now
Best Wishes and Good Luck!
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More commentsLet me offer my home remedy - leave it the heck alone. That's the thing that has always worked the best for me.But then you have to go places with it on your lip and its embarrassing...DUH! im a 13 year old girl..there is NO WAY that i am walking around with it on my lip!thank you you cant really go out any where because most of the time your thinking about it and people are looking at it.youre 13, and have herpes. Why are you kissing people when you are so young?Your kidding me kissing a parent drinking outta a glass many ways to get cold sores how rude to write that comment to a little girl
Yea!....geez. You don't even know her. Simply touching the wrong thing at at wrong time and rubbing your mouth will cause it..don't judge peoplei have to go to school with this on my face! :P it sucks and it hurts!
thx so muchbtw abreva works for me just put some on every 6-7 hours adn after a shower but dont use alot its like 30 bucks a tube and there like only an inch long
Great article! I have had them since i was a kid and its the worst thing ever! Finally though i have come accross an article that breaks it down into the days of cold sore maddness. The first day that i saw the sore on my lip and felt the tingle i googled. Thanks so much for posting this info it really helped!!!
ive had them forever n im in the military so i know how they can be you dont wanna be seen n dont look at people no matter how long you have had to suffer from this you never get used to it you always feel like everyone is looking at it now i am a very good looking guy but its the one thing that holds me back ive broken up with girls right before a breakout just so i wouldnt have to explain it ive tried everything i used to take a hot towl as soon as it develops and rub the bubbles till they bust open then put jelly on it but they always scabbed n looked worse so im trying a new method take a q tip n dip it in hydrogen peroxide rub on blister every 5 min then after it dryes blistex not sure how good it will work but im in iraq so i dont have many options why the heck hasnt anyone come out with a med that just gets rid of it all together or at least stops the out breakCOLDSORES ARE VERY COMMON AND MOST PEOPLE HAVE THEM, IT IS NOT A DISCUSTING THING IT JUST SUCKS WHEN YOU CANT KISS THE MAN YOU LOVE WHEN YOU HAVE ONE! AND YOU SHOULDNT BE EMBARRASSED, MOST PEOPLE GOT THEM AS CHILDREN AND CANT CONTROL THEM, ITS JUST PART OF LLIFE!!! YOU JUST HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH THEM AND REMEMBER TO USE LIPBALM AND TAKE LYSINE PILLS!I don't believe that it is just part of life. If you have something wrong with you, you must do everything possible to correct it. Either cure it or alleviate the symptoms. This isn't an order. It is a FACT OF LIFE!When it first starts to irritate you by itching or tingling put Abreva on it if you don't have any leave a lemon slices on it..but never irritate, rub it touch or pop it lol why are men always so aggressive? Hope this helps
taking lysine pills regularly as a vitamin will prevent you from getting them, just make sure to throw out toothbrushes and chapsticks/lipsticks you used when you had one and remember to always have a chapstick with sunscreen in it with you at all times. dont let your lips get ridiculously chapped no matter how many times you have to reapply the lipbalm. take the time out of your day to use apply and reapply! and remember to take take lysine regularly and you wont get them! this really does work! and you can buy lysine pills at a health food store or sometimes walamart!!!
I developed type 1 diabetes about 25 years ago. At the same time I started getting cold sores. The sores are at both corners of my mouth. They aren't that visible as they form right at the edges of my lips in a fold of skin. The maddening thing is the outbreaks of itching and tingling. It interrupts my sleeping and my ability to go to sleep. The latest outbreak lasted three weeks and was a doozy. I wake up scratching and rubbing at the sores. I am going to try lysine. Hopefully this might help.
thanx i'll try it i glad you can help me. MERVIN MANEVILLE FROM SOUTH AFRICA / CAPE TOWN
There is a medication you can get from your doctor called famciclovir. I find that it definitely speeds healing time and makes my cold sores scab over after only one day. I take that and use abreva. Using these two together shortens the length of time the sore is present for me.
i have taken days off because a cold sore because i was to imbarassed to go out in public i would not touch it r u nuts everything u will do either hurts or stings!!!!!!
Pretty sure I'm 15 & I got mine from using Carmex , that was in our bathroom . Don't have to be kissing anyone , To get it . Now I'm embarrassed as far to be around anyone .
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