Cold Sore Tips for Prevention and Treatment

Cold sores not only cause ugly sores around the lips and mouth, they can also hurt so much that it becomes disabling. To provide welcome pain relief and treat a fresh outbreak, and to prevent new cold sores from occurring, try the following useful cold sore tips.

Before we begin, let’s briefly explain what causes cold sores.

A virus known as the Herpes Simplex Virus I or HSV I is the root cause of cold sores, also called fever blisters. Don’t let the name confuse you ? this virus is completely distinct from the one that causes genital herpes lesions.

HSV I is highly contagious and very common. Up to 80% of the population has the virus, which lies dormant in our bodies while no outbreak is present. The vast majority of those infected with HSV I contract the virus by the time they are seven years old. Once you’ve got it, there’s no way to get rid of the virus.

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.

Cold Sore Tips ? Preventing Outbreaks

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

In a nutshell, anything that creates too much stress or overburdens the body can cause the formation of cold sores. So, the way to prevent cold sore outbreaks is to control these environmental triggers.

When it comes to cold sores that may occur during pregnancy or a woman’s period, these hormonally-based triggers can’t always be controlled. In cases like this, you can develop a proactive plan of attack.

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.

Treat Outbreaks with these Cold Sore Tips

Prevention is all well and good, but what do you if you need to relieve symptoms of an outbreak that’s already under way?

The following cold sore tips can help you get relief:

? Try applying a numbing medicine like lidocaine, benzocaine, benzoyl alcohol, or a product that contains phenol.

? Use an antibiotic ointment to keep the sores from becoming infected.

? A good lip balm should be applied to avoid cracking and scabbing of the open sores.

? 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.

The best route to cold sore treatment is preventing them from occurring in the first place with a good diet, exercise, and supplement program that keeps your immune system in tip-top shape. Make sure to get enough rest, and to learn to manage 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.

Click Here to learn about a natural remedy to cure your cold sores within 3 days! It’s quick and proven way to stop cold sores dead in their tracks!!

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Bumpzee
  • De.lirio.us
  • Furl
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • Propeller
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo! Buzz

No related posts.

Comments are closed.