Cold Sores Treatments – Which One To Choose?

If you ever experienced having small blisters filled with liquid that develop around your mouth or lips, then you’ve been a victim of cold sores. These are caused by the herpes simplex virus, and are passed on through skin-to-skin contact. These irritating blisters will appear usually a week or up to 3 weeks after exposure to the virus, which can last from 10-14 days.

There is cold sores treatment but this doesn’t get rid of the virus in the body.

Once infection occurs, the virus stays in the body forever although symptoms don’t always show.

However, the symptoms usually clear up within a week or so, but for prolonged symptoms cold sores treatment usually does the trick.

There are many cold sores treatment to choose from like:

  • For the pain that the symptoms may cause, over the counter painkillers such as ibuprofen can ease the discomfort.
  • You can resort to using skin care products for cold sores treatment such as petroleum jelly and allantoin that help to keep the blisters moist and prevent further cracking.
  • Prescription treatments are used for recurring symptoms of cold sores treatment, and are effective in reducing healing time as well as the pain associated with the symptoms. These medications should be applied 5 times a day to maximize effectiveness.
  • Anti-viral tablets are another alternative for cold sores treatment, especially in the case of constantly recurring cold sores.

Just like treatment for other diseases, there are precautions that should be taken for cold sores treatment as well as after medication in order to minimize recurrence such as:

  1. Avoid touching the blisters, and always be sure to wash your hands with antibacterial washes. Touching the sores with dirty hands can increase the occurrence because the bacteria and germs can spark the onset of symptoms.
  2. Cold sores treatment such as creams should never be shared with anyone else.
  3. Avoid skin to skin contact such as kissing, sex, and oral sex until your cold sores or those of your partner have completely disappeared. This will cause further spreading of the disease.
  4. If you are using contact lenses, be sure to always wash your hands thoroughly before putting them in your eyes because failing to do so can spread the herpes simplex virus to your eyes.
  5. Cold sores treatment may also be shared by contaminated products that have come in contact with the blisters, such as lipstick, face towels, utensils, and razors. Avoid sharing these items as well.
  6. During the period of symptoms, stick to foods that are cool and soft, while staying away from acidic, spicy, and salty foods which may irritate the blisters.
  7. If your symptoms are severe, you may want to ask your doctor for additional products that may help to ease your pain when brushing your teeth which will help you still maintain good oral hygiene despite the blisters.

Cold sores treatment are essential in living with the herpes simplex virus, and will surely go a long way if you take the extra effort to do what is needed.