Cold Sore Cure

Herpes Simplex type I (HSV-1) is the virus that most responsible for cold sores. Cold sore infection of the mouth is very common and the appearance may cause concern but it presents no serious risks to your general health.

A cold sore is highly contagious, especially in the initial stages. The main danger involved in cold sore is spreading the infection to the eye. Seriously, you should avoid touching your eye after you touch the sore. It may cause you blindness if you are not careful with this. Touching a cold sore and then touching other places can cause spreading of the virus. Avoid kissing, sharing eating utensils or cups, towels or other such items with other person if you have cold sore.

Though it can heal within a week to 10 days without any treatment, the fact remains that the duration can be so painful and irritating to sufferers. Cold sore treatments are normally categorized into two groups: over-the-counter (OTC) medications and home remedies for cold sore.

In this article we will discuss more on home remedies for cold sore because I found that home remedies are inexpensive, easy to prepare and effective to treat it. There are several cold sore treatments that have been known to work quite well.

1. Ice is the most common treatment for cold sore. You will be surprised that this simple treatment offers much pain relief. You may send the virus back into hibernation. Ice the area 2-3 times a day for about 15 minutes a time.

2. Build your immune system against cold sores. Increase multi-vitamins and proteins intake. Infection can decrease along with the proper diet, exercise and adequate amount of sleep. Proper diet can help to shield you from the viruses and take sufficient of sleep, our body will naturally heal when well-rested.

3. Apply tea bags on your cold sores. This is because of the tannin properties found in tea which is believed that it can effectively treating a cold sore. You can consider pressing a warm tea bag on the blisters for around 30 minutes.

The internet offers mixed reviews on many of the dozens of cold sore medications on the market today, ranging from statements like “my cold sore was gone in two hours” to “this stuff made it worse!” Some cold sore medications obviously have a better track record than others, but it can be difficult to find the perfect remedy for that annoying and embarrassing cold sore. The biggest factor that will contribute to the effectiveness of your chosen cold sore remedy is noting the stage at which the cold sore has developed when the first treatment is applied to the site. Any cold sore sufferer knows that the best way to treat a cold sore is to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. Once blisters begin to form, you may be out of luck if you are not using the right cold sore medication. I am a frequent cold sore sufferer who has tried almost every home remedy and cold sore medication on the market. In this article I am going to compare two of the most popular cold sore medications: Abreva, the only FDA approved over the counter medication and Zovirax, an FDA approved prescription medication.
Abreva:
Abreva can be purchased in almost any drug-store for $16-$20. Right off the bat, it is important to note that you won’t get much for what you pay. The medicine is in a tiny 2 gram (.07 ounce) tube that is barely an inch long. I have seen many good (and many bad) reviews of Abreva, and my opinion falls somewhere in-between. Healing a cold sore quickly with Abreva is hit-or-miss. I have learned that if I liberally apply Abreva almost every hour as soon as I feel any burning or tingling, it does help tremendously and there is 90% chance that I will avoid a full blown breakout. Often, if caught at that stage, the blisters will simply not develop. However, if I don’t have any when the tingling begins, or I wake up to find that the blisters have already begun to form, the cold sore will generally run its course, lasting 9-10 days regardless of how much I continue to apply. It really is important to apply Abreva immediately upon feeling any tingling or pain. Even an hour can make a big difference.
Zovirax (Aciclovir):
Let me just say that I absolutely love Zovirax and I regret all the years I suffered with cold sores, spending hours researching home remedies and over-the-counter products, when a simple call to the doctor for a prescription was the answer. It is truly a life-saver when it comes to cold sores. Whether it is applied at the first signs of a cold sore or even after bumps and blisters have begun to form, it will zap my cold sore in 24-48 hours. In addition, it does not “dry out” the cold sores which many medications do; shrinking the blisters, but leaving a very hard scab that cracks and bleeds. Zovirax also has something in it to relieve pain and itching. In most cases, if Zovirax is applied during the tingling stage the cold sore does not develop (like Abreva). If it is applied after blisters have formed, it shrinks the blisters overnight and relieves all the redness and irritation surrounding the sore. I have never had a cold sore for more than three days when using Zovirax. The one down-side to using this medication is the cost. A 5 gram tube of Zovirax retails at about $120.00 and is subject to a higher co-pay with insurance because there is no generic equivalent available yet.