Causes, Symptoms, and Pictures of Cold Sores!
What is cold sores? What is Best Treatment
Cold sores are the small blisters that appeared around the corner of the mouth or on the lips due to a virus called Herpes Simplex. Cold sore heals on its own within 7 to 10 days without any treatment.
Cold sore symptoms start when you feel tingling, itching, and burning around the corner of your mouth. Herpes Simplex Virus or HSV-1 is responsible for you having cold sores. While in some cases you may develop cold sores due to Herpes Simplex virus 2 HSV-2 which transmitted through genital herpes when some do oral sex with an infected person.
What is the Difference between Cold Sores and Fever Blisters?
Cold sores have been called fiver blister in the past because blisters appeared on lips when someone had a fever. Fever blisters are also known as cold sores. If you have a fever blister then there are chances it may be caused by HSV-1. The difference in cold sores and fever blister is that fever blister appears on the corner of lips while cold sores may affect whole mouth area including lips. But in general, these terms are used interchangeably. See the picture of a fever blister to differentiate the fever blister and cold sores.
Stages of Cold Sores
Cold sores remain for 7 to 10 days and have different stages. First of all, you feel tingling around the mouth, which turns into itching then burning sensation. Fluid-filled blisters appear on the corner of the mouth or on lips. After some time these blisters burst out and ooze and form an aching sore. Then sore dries out in a few days and scab over which causes itching and cracking. When this scab falls out the cold sore heals.
Why do I keep getting Cold Sores?
Herpes Simplex is a common virus and affects people due to sunlight exposure, fever, compromised immune system or using things (towel, lip balm, kissing, and toothbrush) of an infectious person. As the HSV-1 is contagious you should avoid using other people’s things. HSV-1 causes less severe symptoms and heals with over the counter treatments than cold sores caused by HSV-2. So be careful while doing oral sex and make sure they do not have STDs. IF you keep getting cold sores more than 6 times a year you must consult a doctor.
How to Take Care of Cold Sores at Home?
Cold sores on lips are a little painful but they make you embraced especially in social gatherings due to weird look around the mouth. treatment for lips requires immediate remedy if you have any formal occasion coming. There are many things for cold sores at-home care so do notneed to worry about it. So let’s go through some cold sore remedies.
Cold Sore Remedies
- Kanuka honey comes from the manuka tree shows promising results in treating cold sores. This honey has medicinal properties in treating many skin problems.
- Use apple cider vinegar for cold sore treatment on lips. Make sure to dilute it before using it. Having antibacterial and antiviral properties it soothes inflammation and dries the blisters.
- Applying aloe vera gel is the best cold sore treatment. Aloe Vera gives a cooling effect on burning sensation and inflammation and helps is falling of scabs without cracking or pain.
- For lip cold sore treatment lemon balm is best to reduce redness and swelling on lips and reduce the future occurrence of cold sores.
- Icing is also good to relieve pain due to fever blisters.
- Sunscreen having SPF 30 is your best friend to avoid cold sores.
- Lab test shows that peppermint oil is effective in curing HSV-1 and HSV-2. Apply oil directly on the mouth as soon as you feel tingling on the mouth.
Cold Sore Medication
Using OTC medicines and creams is the fastest treatment. The quickest way for the cold sore cover-up is to act as fast as possible. Do not wait as you notice the first symptom of tingling. Apply cold sore cream naming docosanol (Abreva) the first thing 80 % American use in cold sores.
If your symptoms do not get any better within home remedies or cream then consult your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe you the following medicine.
- Zovirax
- Denavir
- Valtrex
After using these medicine the sores into a scab. Use lip balm and wear sunscreen to avoid future outbreaks of cold sores.
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