Those who experience cold sores on a regular basis know how painful, ugly and annoying they are. Also known as fever blisters cold sores are small clusters of blisters that often appear around the lips and mouth. These painful lesions will take place over various stages over the course of a couple of weeks.
The culprit behind cold sores is HSV or the Herpes Simplex virus So how does one get the HSV virus you may ask? It is critical to be careful when experiencing a cold sore as they are very contagious. By touching the blister, kissing someone or sharing a spoon or form it is very likely that the cold sore can be passed to somebody else. It should be noted that the most infectious stage of a cold sore is when the blisters pop and the sores are weeping.
The initial symptoms of a cold sore can include swollen glands in your neck but the most common symptoms are tingling or burning sensations around the infected area. The area may also feel numb. Some people may have the HSV virus but wont experience symptoms for quite some time. Following the tingling or burning sensation the blisters will begin to appear. A few days later the blisters will break open and a scab will form. During this stage of the cold sore many people feel extremely embarrassed as the sore is quite apparent.
Cold sores will heal on their own but sometimes if the sore is not taken care of properly then the blisters will spread to other areas of the face worsening the outbreak. It is important to always keep the sore clean and to never pick at it or touch it. This can make the spread of the herpes virus more likely and also increases the chances of worsening the outbreak.
Check out cold sore remedies. Herpes can be tough to deal with as there is no cure but thankfully there are some great treatments and remedies that can effectively be used against it. There are various ointments such as Orajel or Abreva that can speed up the healing time by a day or two. The amount of cold sore outbreaks can be limited by taking a variety of herpes treatments.
One such treatment is called Herpeset. Its a homeopathic remedy that targets specific systems and helps bring relief. Take a look at does herpeset work?.
Garlic, lemon, salt and apple cider vinegar are all examples of some very effective home remedies. These home remedies can work as immune system boosters, pain relievers and can quicken the healing time. Remedies like salt can be used in the early stages of a cold sore but once the blisters have popped it will only cause a lot of pain and stinging.
Like salt, apple cider vinegar should not be used on an open sore but if used before the blisters have popped it can be quite effective. Garlic also acts to bolster the immune system and helps stop more infection.
It is important to determine what the potential triggers of a cold sore are so that they can be avoided. Different people can get a cold sore outbreak for different reasons. Things such as a sun burn, cold weather, hormonal changes or injury.
It is really difficult to contend with a cold sore because there is no outright solution. To heal a cold sore it can take up to 2 weeks and that can lead to some frustration. Remedies and treatments will settle the pain and some of the more recognized treatments will speed along the healing time by a few days. Cold sore are a trying ordeal but with some patience they will go away.