Following the burst of the blister, the fluid will ooze out, sometimes turning into a crusty covering and forming a scab over the open wound, which is tender to the touch, and can crack open.
An outbreak, from the first initial tingle to the scab falling off, typically lasts from seven to 10 days. Cold sore remedies can range from natural home-based cures to over-the-counter treatments and doctor-prescribed medicines. Some of these remedies are listed below, although definitive research is still limited as to their effectiveness. If you're not successful in staving off the sore, applications of ointments and petroleum jelly will help keep the scabs from cracking open, helping to reduce the pain and shorten the time of recovery.
It's " generally true that wounds heal more quickly when kept moist ," according to Clark Otley, MD, the chair of the Department of Dermatology at the Mayo Clinic. Several over-the-counter medicines are commonly used to treat cold sores.
Although they're not usually as effective as prescription medicine, they can often bring the relief you seek, especially if you don't have a prescription but feel you may be at the onset of an outbreak. Abreva is for people age 12 and older, so talk to your doctor before using it for a younger child.
Many physicians will take your word for it if you tell them you're prone to outbreaks. Describe to them, in graphic detail, your experiences with cold sores, and they'll be happy to offer you the medicine you need. Your physician will most often prescribe one of several effective treatments. These antiviral medicines can include but are not limited to acyclovir Zovirax , famciclovir Famvir , and valacyclovir Valtrex.
These medications are most effective when started within the first 48 hours of the outbreak. Prescription medicines have been very successful in reducing the severity of the outbreak for thousands of fellow-suffers, and many years of clinical testing have verified their effectiveness.
Cold sores can appear at the worst times. In fact, you may start to recognize what triggers an outbreak for you. Some of the common triggers are fever, stress, fatigue, sun exposure, and even menstruation. Obviously, some of these triggers you can avoid and some you can't. But these triggers can be warnings to get your favorite remedy ready to fight the battle. There are some practical things you can do to lessen the number of outbreaks or reduce their severity.
Here are just a few common-sense ideas. Sunscreen, in addition to keeping you from looking like an old raisin and helping you avoid skin cancer, can also help prevent an outbreak. But there are things you can do to help ease the pain. Cold sores should start to heal within 10 days, but are contagious and may be irritating or painful while they heal. Some people find that certain things trigger a cold sore, such as another illness, sunshine or menstrual periods. Cold sores are contagious from the moment you first feel tingling or other signs of a cold sore coming on to when the cold sore has completely healed.
You can buy electronic devices from pharmacies that treat cold sores with light or lasers. Some people find these helpful, but there have not been many studies to confirm if they work. If you regularly get cold sores, use antiviral creams as soon as you recognise the early tingling feeling.
Finally, popping a cold sore will likely not speed up the healing process. Instead, it may do the exact opposite. By prematurely opening the cold sore and exposing it to fresh air, your body may require more time to form a scab and heal the sore. If the cold sore becomes infected, it can take even longer to heal, as your body not only has to heal the cold sore but also deal with the bacterial infection.
This means a longer healing process and more days with an embarrassing, obvious cold sore on or around your lips. Luckily, cold sore treatment is relatively effective and easy. If you can catch a cold sore before it completely develops , you may be able to significantly reduce the amount of time required for it to scab, heal and disappear.
Instead of popping the cold sore, make sure you avoid touching or scratching it. Speak to your doctor about using an oral antiviral medication such as valacyclovir, which will stop the HSV-1 virus from replicating within your body, as well as help speed up the healing process.
If your cold sore is painful or uncomfortable, you can also use a topical herpes anaesthetic or over-the-counter pain relief to make it easier to manage. Our guide to sex with herpes goes into more detail about having safe sex if you have a cold sore. Left to heal on its own, a cold sore will usually disappear without leaving a scar. The blister will break, scab over, and eventually fall off. This can result in several conditions, such as herpetic whitlow and viral keratitis. The time it takes for a cold sore to heal varies from person to person.
Generally, cold sores heal within a few days to two weeks without any treatment. If your cold sore lasts longer than 15 days or you have a compromised immune system from cancer treatment or from a medical condition, such as HIV, speak to your doctor.
Learn more about the stages of a cold sore. Popping a cold sore in hopes of getting it to heal faster can backfire, worsening your symptoms and increasing your risk of another infection or long-term scarring.
You may be able to heal a cold sore faster with the help of an OTC cold sore cream and by keeping the area clean and moisturized.
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