Cure a Cold Sore Fast

Cold sores are uncomfortable, embarrassing and itchy. They're the last thing that you want to deal with. Luckily, there are steps you can take to treat a sore once it emerges. Even better, there are ways to stop a cold sore in its tracks and prevent an outbreak altogether.

Steps

Preventing Cold Sores

1. Avoid cold sore triggers. There are a variety of things that can cause cold sores and it's a good idea to be extra vigilant during cold season. Even stress and lack of sleep can cause cold sores, so try to get a good night's sleep.
   • If you come down with a cold, fever or flu, your risk of an outbreak may increase, as I mentioned, because your immune system is compromised. Make sure you're getting all your necessary vitamins, and plenty of them.
   • Menstruation, pregnancy and hormonal changes may cause cold sores to act up. Of course there's nothing women can do to prevent this, but be prepared for a possible outbreak when that time of month comes around.
   • Stress may trigger cold sore outbreaks, so do everything you can to relax. Set some time aside each day to meditate, take deep breaths or simply have a cup of tea, whatever works for you.
   • Fatigue triggers outbreaks, so make sure you get plenty of sleep. Take naps if you need to. Caffeine may fix fatigue, but it won't help against cold sores. Cold sores are your body's way of communicating that depriving yourself of sleep has consequences, so sleep!
   • Too much exposure to the sun can aggravate the area and cause cold sores to emerge. If you do overexpose your lips to the sun, try to ice them as soon as possible, for several minutes. Also, look for a lipstick or lip balm with sun protection of SPF 15 or higher and apply it frequently throughout the day.
2. Identify cold sores before they surface. Know the signs so you can act before your cold sore has a chance to form. There are multiple signs (although, of course, just because you have one of the symptoms doesn't necessarily mean you have a cold sore, but it does mean that you should be extra vigilant).
   • Tenderness, tingling, burning, itching, numbness and pain around your lips may mean a cold sore is forming.
   • Fevers and other cold and flu symptoms often accompany cold sores, hence the nickname “fever blisters.”
   • Drooling and increased salivating may indicate a cold sore is on its way.
3. Stop the cold sore in its tracks. It is in its prodromal stage for 6 to 48 hours before it becomes visible. During this time, you may use the following methods to prevent the sore from surfacing. This is the best time to stop it, rather than having to wait once it gets big and nasty!
   • Ice it or apply a cold compress. Do this hourly, or as frequently as possible.
   • Steep a teabag in hot water, let it cool and then hold it against the afflicted area. Cold sores thrive in heat, so be sure to let the tea bag cool beforehand.
4. Keep your lips protected from the sun at all times. Apply lip balm with sun protection of at least SPF 15. Reapply it frequently throughout the day.
5. Stay healthy! Cold sores, although not caused by colds, are aggravated by them. When you come down with a fever, cold or flu, your immune system is compromised, busy fighting something else.
   • Make sure you're getting all your necessary vitamins. Eat lots of leafy greens, and colorful vegetables, as well as salmon, nuts, and fruit.
   • Drink white and green tea. Both are rich in antioxidants, which strengthen your immune system and cleanse your body of toxins.
   • Drink lots of water.
   • Get enough sleep.

Using Medical Remedies

1. Apply topical cream to combat pain and symptoms. Most topical treatments only provide symptomatic relief, and do not in fact accelerate the healing process, so keep that in mind. Try the following topical treatments:
   • Docosanol (Abreva) is FDA-approved and available over-the-counter.
   • Topical Acyclovir and Penciclovir (Denavir) may be prescribed to you by your doctor.
2. See your doctor for prescription anti-viral pills. These can help decrease the duration of the outbreak, and there are good variety of them, but you'll need to get a prescription from your doctor. You can either get pills or creams, but the creams tend to work the best and the quickest.
   • You can try Acyclovir (Xerese, Zovirax).
   • There is also Famciclovir (Famvir).
   • Or you could try Valacyclovir (Valtrex).
3. Relieve pain with Ibuprofen or Tylenol. This won't help make your cold sore go away, but it will help you deal with the discomfort that arises from having a cold sore. Just remember, that just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean you can't pass it along to another person, so you still need to be careful.

Using Home Remedies

1. Apply aloe vera to the afflicted area. Aloe reduces pain and speeds along the healing process, so it's a really good thing to use to help heal your cold sore.
2. Chill the area with ice cubes or a cold compress. This helps reduce swelling and redness and eases the symptoms of a core sore. Again, it won't necessarily speed up the healing process.
3. Apply Visine to help reduce redness. This won't really speed along the healing process, but it can help you feel better, so it's definitely a good thing to use for the purposes of symptom relief.
4. Apply petroleum jelly. This will work to speed along the healing process and protect against bacterial infection.
5. Wet the area with a Q-tip, then dip the Q-tip in either salt or baking soda and dab it onto the sore. Leave it there for several minutes as it absorbs and drains the fluid, then rinse. Repeat the process several times if needed. This may sting.

Knowing About Cold Sores

1. Know that cold sores are caused by several variations of the herpes simplex virus (HSV). This includes HSV-1 and HSV-2, both of which can affect either the facial or genital region. Once contracted, the herpes virus stays with you for life. There is nothing you can do to eliminate the virus, but you can reduce the frequency of outbreaks.
2. Take precautions not to spread the herpes simplex virus. This is why you need to know how to identify the signs of a cold sore appearance, so that you can avoid passing it along to another person.
   • Never share eating utensils or beverages with anybody, especially when you have an active cold sore.
   • Never share towels or razors or toothbrushes.
   • Never share chap stick, lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss, lip anything.
   • Avoid kissing your significant other when your cold sore is active. Switch to butterfly and eskimo kisses for a while, until the coast is clear.
   • Oral sex, especially during an outbreak, can transmit the herpes virus from the lips to the genitals, or vice versa.

Tips

• Wash your hands frequently when sores are active (and in general). You shouldn't be touching your sore, but in case you do without realizing, it's safest to wash your hands whenever possible.
• Taking care of your immune system by taking vitamins and drinking white and green tea, et cetera, will help keep cold sores from forming in the first place.
• Apply lipstick or balm with a Q-tip instead of directly to the lips.
• Find a lipstick or lip balm with sun protection, of SPF 15 or higher, and apply it frequently.
• Know the signs and indicators that a sore is on its way (listed above) to catch a sore before it surfaces and avoid an ugly outbreak altogether.
• Apply aloe vera onto the cold sore with a cotton swab. Then place a small piece of toilet paper the size of the sore onto the affected area. Repeat this process multiple times.
• Keep from touching or licking the sore, as that will make it last longer.
• Use concentrated lemon juice to quickly cure a cold sore.

Warnings

• Cleaning the sore with salt may sting.
• Don't touch the sore with your fingers. This will only keep it irritated longer, and greatly increases your risk of spreading the virus.
• Never cover up a cold sore with makeup. Foundation and cover up will only aggravate the problem.
• Salty or acidic foods may add to your discomfort if they come in contact with the sore. Citrus foods, for instance, sting incredibly.
• Never reuse a Q-tip, tissue, towel or washcloth that has come into contact with the sore.
• Wash and switch pillow cases every night during an outbreak.
• When washing the sore, make sure NOT to, under any circumstances, let the water get in your eye. If the fluid in the sores gets in your eye, it spreads the herpes virus to your eye, which can cause infection or ulceration of the cornea.
• If your outbreaks are very severe or frequent, see a doctor or set up an appointment with a dermatologist (skin doctor).
• During an active lesion, abstain from kissing and oral sex, so as not to spread the virus.

Related Articles

• Prevent a Cold Sore from Forming
• Treat a Cold Sore or Fever Blisters
• Prevent Cold Sores
• Treat Cold Sores on Lips

Sources and Citations

See also

• Prevent a Cold Sore from Spreading
• Cure Cold Sores With Care
• Get Rid of a Cold Sore Fast
• Heal a Cold Sore Naturally
• Treat a Cold Sore or Fever Blisters
• Get Rid of a Cold Sore
• Get Rid of a Cold Sore with Home Remedies
• Heal Cold Sores
• Prevent Cold Sores
• Stop a Cold Sore from Growing

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