Helpful Cold Sore Tips

Cold sores aren’t just cosmetically ugly; they hurt too. As anyone who’s ever had one can attest, they can be almost overwhelmingly painful. To help you conquer cold sores, we’ve gathered some cold sore tips to assist you in relieving the pain of a current cold sore outbreak, and to help you prevent new outbreaks down the road.

Let’s get started by going over the triggers that cause cold sores.

Cold sores, also called fever blisters, are caused by a common virus called the Herpes Simplex Virus I (HSV I). You should not confuse this with genital herpes, which is caused by a different form of the virus.

Up to eighty percent of population has the HSV I virus. Most of those with the virus were exposed to it before reaching seven years of age. There is no way to get rid of this highly contagious and almost universally prevalent virus. Once you have it, it’s in your body permanently. Most of the time it is dormant, without causing cold sore symptoms.

Cold sores are painful, ugly blisters that form on or near the lips and mouth. Outbreaks occur when the normally latent herpes virus becomes reactivated due to some type of trigger.

Prevent Outbreaks with these Cold Sore Tips

So, what exactly triggers the dormant HSV I virus to re-awaken? There are a variety of different causes, like:

? Stress ? Weak immune system ? Illness ? Pregnancy or menstruation ? Injured or irritated lips and mouth

Essentially, when the body’s natural defenses are weakened, or a person’s stress level is too high, cold sores can occur. To prevent cold sores, it’s important to control the triggers that cause them.

In the case of pregnancy or menstrual-related outbreaks, hormonal triggers can’t be controlled. Fortunately, there are ways to strengthen the body’s defenses.

There are a variety of supplements and widely available products to prevent cold sores. A healthy diet that bolsters the immune system is vitally important, as is preventing injury or severe chapping of the lips. A good, moisturizing lip balm can calm chapped lips and help minimize the risk of cold sore outbreaks.

Cold Sore Tips for Effective Treatment

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but what happens if you need to soothe the symptoms of a current outbreak?

The following cold sore tips can help you get relief:

? Use a topical medication to numb the pain. Examples include “caine” medicines, like lidocaine and benzocaine. You can also use preparations like benzoyl alcohol or a phenol-containing formulation.

? Apply an antibacterial product to prevent the sores from getting infected.

? Keep the sores from cracking and bleeding with a good lip moisturizer.

? Try taking zinc and lysine supplements. These may reduce the duration of a cold sore outbreak. Zinc is also known to boost the immune system.

Taking care of yourself with a healthful diet and exercise plan, combined with immune-bolstering supplements is the best way to prevent painful cold sore outbreaks. Be sure to get enough restful sleep, and use stress management techniques to avoid succumbing to stress.

While prevention is really the best treatment plan, if you do end up with painful cold sores, use these cold sore tips to minimize the associated pain and help get rid of your outbreak sooner.

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