How To Get Rid Of Cold Sore
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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 commentsThere 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 .
I've had cold sores since I was a teen!! I borrowed a friends lipstick not thinking because she had a cold sore at the time and sure enough 2 weeks later I had my first outbreak! So it's not just kissing!! It's highly contagious!! Could get it from taking a sip of someones drink who has one!!
Mine is usually triggered when I have a cold cause my immune system has weakened so I try to stay away from anyone who is sick ( not easy cause I have a son who is in school lol ) I get a perscription for valtrex which is normally used for genital herpes but it is also used for cold sores 2 and it works very well!! I pair it with Abreva and the both of them help cut my healing time in half!!
I found for myself that after time the sores got smaller and smaller in size when I used this method!
I have been getting cold sores as long as i can remember. A few years ago i was told to take a Lysine tablet each day for 100 days. I used to get them 4-5 times a year now i'm lucky to get them once a year now. I recently discovered that when i start to feel one come on, i immedietly apply ice to it.
after the ice, i then hold a warm tea bag on it for about 15 minutes.
The i get a cotton bud and dip in Metholayted Spirts and hold it on there for 5 minutes.
Repeat the stages in the same order 3 times a day and it will be gone in the morning.
I never get embarrased anymore because my coldsores never make it to the surface. No one ever knows you have one.
Make sure you do these steps the minute you can feel one coming on, you need to get in early otherwise these steps will be useless.Do you use a wet or dry tea bag?
actually I have tried most of these things
and having cold sores since I was a teenager
I have found "new skin" liquid bandage to work best after the sore has surfaced
I have had an issue will my sore not drying out with continuing to bleed
but with the liquid bandage it allows for the sore to dry out and have new skin grow
try it and see if it helps! (:
I'm a teen and have been getting cold sores my whole life. They are so embarrassing to have while in school I have an outbreak right now with 3 of them the. First time ever I've he'd more than one at a time I'm just desperate for a FAST remedy.
I have had cold sores since I was 7 years of age. I am now 23 and still get it every single year, I can never prevent them no matter wat I do but once they come out any cream applied 5 times a day that is a cold sore cream or eye ointment will help it.. I always get embarressed because I never get less than 3 cold sores and they all blister straight away nothing can stop my cold sores from blistering and they are never small.. but I noticed I only get them when I have a weak immune system either I'm getting sick or I just was sick..
Here's what helps me:
1. Sterilize needle with rubbing alcohol
2. Pop cold sore
3. Dip a Q-Tip in the rubbing alcohol
4. Press and hold the Q-Tip onto the sore to drain all the liquid into the cotton so a.) you catch the contagious fluid, and b.) it disinfects the area
5. Smear on Neosporin
People always lecture me on not popping cold sores, but not once have I ever had a negative experience doing it. If you sterilize the sore after you pop it then it won't spread, and if you apply Neosporin then you don't get any nasty open wounds or bloody crusts. Plus you get to get rid of the giant fluid-filled blister, which in my opinion is the worst and most uncomfortable stage.
I've use L-Lysine from health food stores or pharmacy which has helped me,and my son whom I crush the pill and put it in his food he can't taste it and has stopped him from getting them too.
Also stopped having acidic foods , but when I've had one I usually put metho or perfume on it to dry it out.
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