Worldwide many people suffer from cold sores, which are both painful and contagious. The condition can worsen during the winter, when the air is dry and the immune system may be low.
During this period, many herpes patients experience more frequent and longer-lasting outbreaks of irritating and bothersome cold sores, which often follow one another in a long series. And since herpes is highly contagious you must be careful not to kiss or get in close physical contact to anybody when the cold sore is in full bloom.
Children are quite susceptible to the herpes virus. When children get herpes, the disease is usually accompanied by pain and discomfort, sometimes even fever and flu-like symptoms.
Once infected with herpes, you cannot be cured because the virus will stay in your body for the rest of your life. If you have children, do not kiss them while your herpes is breaking out, and you should maintain strict hand hygiene to ensure that the virus is not transferred to them.
This can be a big nuisance for both children and parents and act as a stress factor – especially if one outbreak follows another. Fortunately, there are medications that can reduce the severity of outbreaks and ease the symptoms that accompany a herpes outbreak. In the following, you can learn more about herpes and learn more about how to prevent and treat cold sores.
How does a cold sore heal the fastest?
The period from the initial symptoms of a herpes outbreak to the final healing of the sores can be very variable. The period can last from a few days up to two weeks and in severe cases even longer.
- The first signs that you are developing a cold sore are as follows:
- Redness and swelling of the skin.
- A tightening and tingling – possibly burning – sensation in the affected area.
- Outbreaks of fluid-filled blisters.
If you want to promote the healing of a cold sore, you must first and foremost keep your hands off the outbreak. If you get herpes on the lip, you risk worsening the condition, so that it takes longer for the wound to heal, and secondly, you risk spreading the infection. And you increase the risk that bacteria will enter the wound and scar the skin.
Without treatment, a typical cold sore will heal on its own within a week to ten days. The first sign of healing is that the blisters become covered with a crust. It is important that you do not pick at the crust – the wound must have time to heal. In 7 to 10 days, the crusts will fall off and the skin will heal on its own without leaving a scar.
If you want to relieve pain and discomfort and at the same time shorten the course, you should start treatment as soon as you feel the initial symptoms. If you start treatment when the wound has broken out, the treatment will have little effect.
The cold sores are caused by a virus called Herpes Simplex 1, usually abbreviated HSV-1. What is herpes – get the answer to the question here.
How to treat cold sores?
Once you are infected with the herpes virus, it is forever. The body will form antibodies against the type of virus you are infected with, and there are medicines to treat cold sores that can alleviate the symptoms. But there is not yet any medicine for viruses. The usual treatment against herpes on the lip are medicines for internal and external use. The first-mentioned type is available on prescription from the doctor in the form of tablets, which must be taken from the moment you feel the first symptoms. Cream or gel against herpes can be obtained over the counter and must also be applied as soon as you feel the very first burning and tingling in the skin. With this type of herpes treatment, you can ease the symptoms and pain of the sores and ensure that your outbreak does not last long.
You can choose to treat your cold sores with QUR Herpes Gel, which is a cooling and soothing gel with healing properties. QUR Herpes Gel is based on natural ingredients and contains no dangerous ingredients. This means that you do not have to be nervous about eating some of the gel because it is completely harmless. The gel is transparent so you can’t see that you have applied it to your lip and you can use the gel as often as you want. The herpes gel soothes pain from cold sores, while at the same time you can achieve a shorter course of illness.
Treatment of cold sores inside the mouth is more difficult. There is no documented effective treatment for herpes inside the mouth and the treatment is therefore all about relieving. No gels or creams can remain on the wet mucous membranes in the mouth. Some rinse with chlorhexidine to prevent bacterial attack, but since chlorhexidine makes the teeth brown, many use chamomile tea, which has been cooled so it is pleasant to gargle and rinse the mouth. You can soothe the pain with Panodil and eat ice cream and other cooling and liquid food during the period when you have an outbreak in your mouth. Some herpes patients with oral outbreaks report a relief effect from rinsing the mouth with aloe vera juice and some use DentaCure toothpaste, which is mild and contains fenugreek seed extract, which is beneficial against inflammation.
What is best for cold sores?
When you have cold sores in the mouth, it is first and foremost important to start the treatment as early as possible and alleviating and shortening the course of the disease. The antiviral medication that your doctor can prescribe has several side effects and should only be used in very severe cases. It only works in the very first phase of an outbreak. You have to have it in stock so that you are ready to take the pills as soon as you feel an outbreak is coming. The medicine has no effect as soon as the blisters have formed and a Cochrane study from 2015 shows that you cannot document a positive effect compared to placebo. You can choose an alternative treatment for cold sores on the lip with great advantage. You can choose over-the-counter products that are based on natural ingredients. Among these you will find various types of ointment, gel and other types of external remedies for cold sores. Unlike conventional medicine, these products have no side effects. This means that you can use them as often as you want. A cold sore gel or cream will have a cooling effect, which will be soothing on the infected area. An example of an alternative remedy for herpes is QUR Herpes Gel. The active substances in QUR Herpes Gel are bentonite – mineral clay – and fenugreek seeds. The gel can be used externally during the entire outbreak. QUR Herpes Gel has been tested and has proven effectiveness in the form of shorter outbreaks and milder symptoms.
It is very important that you do not touch the cold sore on the lip. If you must treat it you must remember to wash your hands both before and after you have applied the cream, gel or ointment. You should refrain from sharing towels, cups, glasses, and cutlery with others. And it is always advisable to avoid kissing and very close contact to other people – especially children.
For how long time should I treat cold sores on the lip?
If you start treating cold sores the moment you feel the first symptoms, you will be able to reduce the duration of – and the discomfort associated with – the course quite considerably. It is recommended to treat herpes, even if the outbreak, in the vast majority of cases resolves itself within a week. Another good reason to treat herpes outbreaks is that fast treatment of cold sores actually works. Many herpes patients report a halving of the duration of the outbreak and far less pain when the cold sore is treated with QUR Herpes Gel compared to other treatments. This means that in most cases you can get rid of both swelling, redness and blisters in a weeks time, while experiencing minimal pain. The severity of Herpes Simplex 1 outbreaks can vary quite a bit from person to person. There is a big difference in the duration of the course and the pain associated with it, depending on the patient’s other dispositions. In the same way, the treatment of cold sores can develop differently, and the degree of pain relief varies. If you suffer from a weakened immune system, you may experience longer-lasting herpes outbreaks than someone with a well-functioning immune system. If you have several consecutive outbreaks of a severe nature, you should consult your doctor for a herpes treatment plan. However, you can still benefit from using alternative medicine, based on natural ingredients to pain relief and reduction of the duration of the period of the herpes outbreak.
