Why Is Cold Sore Treatment So Difficult?

The herpes simplex virus is a lurker. It hides in the root or base of the nerve cell. The hiding makes it difficult for treatments whether natural remedies or drugs to actually get down and inside the root of the nerve.

The drug used most by medical doctors is one called Acyclovir. This doesn't cure the cold sore but does shorten the time span the cold sore is visible. It also can decrease the pain and itching.

Natural cold sore remedies work by boosting your body's defenses so you are less apt to reactivate the herpes simplex virus. Makes sense if your body's defenses are strengthened you're not going to be as run down so are able to fight off the potential reactivation of the virus.

Remember "prevention is worth a pound of cure" and definitely with the cost of treatments today less expensive.

Photo courtesy of Esther Seijmonsbergen

Stress And Cold Sores

If you suffer from cold sores then it's no surprise to know stress and illness are the most frequent cause of cold sores. How many times have you had a job interview, test, important date or prom and had a cold sore pop out?

Stress and cold sores go together because stress affects your entire body, including hormones and resistance to disease. Remember the herpes simplex virus, HS-1 lives in the root of your nerve cell.

Because of its location the herpes simplex virus can quickly sense any changes in the body. This means changes in temperature, pH, stress or hormone levels. The HS-1 virus sensing the opportunity to erupt wakes up and moves along the nerve cell to start reproducing.

As it reproduces it takes over the reproduction system of the nerve cell it has been using as its hiding place. The virus continues replicating itself until the nerve cell swells and then eventually bursts. The viruses then find another nerve cell to hide in.

Your body does have the ability to defend itself against the cold sore inflammation. But for those of us who have suffered from cold sores know it takes several weeks from the initial tingle through the final healing stage to be totally cold sore free.

Most of us don't want to wait that long. The sooner the cold sore vanishes the sooner you can look in the mirror again without shaking your head. Then you can go back to enjoying your life without the cold sore.

It's almost impossible to make your life totally stress free. But if you're someone with frequent cold sore outbreaks you may want to investigate ways of decreasing your stress level.

Next time some ways to minimize the connection between stress and cold sores


Photo courtesy of Bob Smith

Is It A Cold Sore Or A Canker Sore?

What’s the difference between a cold sore and a canker sore? While both sores are painful, only one is both contagious and attracts people’s attention.

With a canker sore inside your mouth most people aren’t going to see it. You’ll definitely feel it as the sore tends to be quite tender. Canker sores begin with a red bump with a kind of tingly feeling. As the canker sore progresses it opens up with a red edge and whitish center. According to WebMD these tiny yet painful sores heal by themselves in a little over a week.

Medical research has not found the cause of canker sores. Some question an auto immune disease while others think family history plays a part. Certainly canker sores appear when someone is stressed or tired.

Treatment of canker sores means avoiding foods irritating the sore. Spicy or hot foods can really increase the pain level. You may want to stick with bland or cold foods to ease the pain. Gels used for teething pain can often numb the area for short periods of time. Be sure follow directions on the gel package.

Cold sores are also very painful. But unlike cankers cold sores most often appear on the lips or around the mouth. But cold sores are contagious, very contagious.

Cold sores are caused by the Herpes Simplex virus, which comes in two types. Most people with cold sores have Herpes Simplex type 1. As I’ve mentioned before the initial or original Herpes infection most often happen when someone was a child.

The Herpes virus lays sleeping until it senses a weakness in the body’s defense system. This could be fatigue, stress or an infection elsewhere in the body. As the virus duplicates itself it causes painful lesions or fever blisters around the mouth and lips. Cold sore treatment choices are mostly limited to pain control.

Cold sores last about two weeks from the first red spot to the scab finally falling off. Some people have found local numbing gels, or prescribed anti virus medications help with the pain of the cold sores. Other people use more natural approaches to cold sore treatment.


Photo used courtesy of Cris Watk

Does Any OTC Cold Sore Treatment Really Work?

If you are having a cold sore the last thing you want to do is to worry whether or not the treatment you pick is going to work. Unfortunately that can be difficult, as not every treatment works for every individual. Over the counter or OTC cold sore medications come in three different groups:

Type 1 treatment: stops itching or pain

Type 2 prevents the cold sore from spreading

Type 3 a combination of types 1 and 2

Here are some of the more common OTC cold sore treatments:

1. Abreva: approved by the FDA is considered a Type 2 treatment. It is considered to be helpful in healing.
2. Anbesol: is a Type 1 treatment and helps with the pain. The Vitamin E and aloe help in the healing
3. Cold Sore Rescue: is a gel with anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Zilactin Cold Sore Gel: This medication is a Type 1 medication putting a protective sealant on the cold sore. It helps to reduce irritation during eating.
5. LipClear Lysine Cold Stick: is a type 2 treatment. The moisturizing parts of the stick helps prevent further cracks in the skin. The lysine also helps the spread of the cold sores.

None of these treatments is an instant cure or magic wand to heal the cold sore. These treatments can help in healing but they don’t work for everyone. But even though they may not stop the spread of the cold sore, they will make the 7-11 days a little easier to deal with.

If you’re going through a cold sore outbreak protect yourself and others. Cold sores are highly contagious. Make sure you thoroughly wash your hands after treating or touching your cold sore. You don’t want to spread the cold sore to other parts of your body or to other people.

Don’t share towels, toothbrushes, wash cloths with anyone else. Again you don’t want the virus to spread. Preferably only use the wash cloth or towel once before putting in the wash. You may find a product like travel wash cloths by Dove or another company a good way of avoiding contamination.

OTC cold sore treatments can be helpful in treating the pain of cold sores. Find a cold sore treatment which works for you.

Why Does Cold Weather Mean More Cold Sores?

Cold sores seem to appear more in the winter than other times of year. Why does this happen?

The cold sore happens more in cold temperatures because the drying effect of the cold on the skin of the lip. The cold acts as a stressor on the body. During cold weather the skin on the lips often dries out. People make the problem worse by licking the lips. This only serves to dry out the lips.The herpes simplex virus hiding in the base of the the nerve cell senses an opportunity and wakes up. The body is then left with a cold sore on the lips.

So what can you do? Keep your lips moist by regularly applying a lip moisturizer to your lips before you go outside in the cold. Also if you are sensitive to sun, then use a sunblock with zinc oxide. This way the sunscreen will help prevent herpes simplex type 1 breakouts.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Erickson