Stop a Cold Sore from Growing

Cold sores are caused by a herpes simplex virus, and are very contagious, passed on through touch. About 90% of adults test positive for the infection, even if they have never had symptoms.[1] The sores are small blisters that often appear on and around your lips. They typically heal within two to four weeks.[2] There is no cure or vaccine for the infection, but swift action and diligent hygiene can help you limit the growth and spread of cold sores.

Steps

Treating a Cold Sore

  1. Know the signs. If you have experienced a cold sore before, you may be able to get a sense for when an outbreak is going to occur. You may experience itching, burning, or tingling around your lips about a day before the cold sore appears.[1] If you believe you are about to get a cold sore, you can begin treatment right away and potentially shorten the duration of the outbreak. You can also make sure you don't accidentally spread the virus to anyone by refraining from contact.
    • Outbreaks commonly occur when you experience a great deal of stress, are overly tired and fatigued, or when you have a viral infection or fever (cold sores are also known as "fever blisters").[1]
  2. Use an over the counter topical treatment. There are a number of antiviral creams that you can get over the counter without a prescription to tackle cold sores. These are designed to speed up the healing time for the sore, they will not actually get rid of the herpes simplex virus nor will they prevent you suffering from future outbreaks. They will generally only be effective if you apply them soon after the sores appear.
    • The antiviral creams to look out for include acyclovir, penciclovir, and docosanol.[3]
    • In a study penciclovir was reported to have the highest antiviral effectiveness.[4]
    • You will need to apply these creams for four or five days, and up to five times each day.[3]
    • When you apply the cream be sure to use a cotton swab or wear a disposable rubber glove so you don't contaminate your hands.[5]
  3. Consider an oral antiviral. For many of these creams, there are alternatives in pill form. You can take these orally if you prefer that to a topical cream. Oral medications may be more effective than topical creams.[2] They will certainly not require to touch the sores in any way, which can help limit their spread. If you are uncertain, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.
  4. Soothe the pain. As well as the antiviral treatments, you can consider taking some painkilling medicine to ease the pain and lessen the irritation the sores are causing you. If you find yourself battling to avoid itching or scratching the cold sores, try using a non-antiviral cream to lessen the irritation. These will not treat the cold sores or make them heal faster on their own. Ask for pharmacist for a recommendation.[3]
    • Regular painkillers such as ibuprofen and paracetamol can be taken to ease the pain of sores.[6]
  5. Use something cold to ease irritation. Applying something cold to the area where you have a sore can also help to relieve the pain and irritation. Lightly hold an ice cube against a sore, or place a cool damp cloth on your face.[7] A cool compress can reduce redness and encourage the sore to heal.[8] Try placing a cool towel on the sores three times day, each time for twenty minutes.[6]
  6. Consider natural remedies. Although natural remedies are unreliable compared to medications, there are a number of things which have been reported as helping tackle cold sores. One of these is L lysine, an amino acid that you can buy as a supplement and as a cream. Modest application to the cold sore may help. Alternatively, propolis, sometimes called synthetic beeswax, is thought to shorten the duration of a cold sore outbreak if applied to the relevant area early and frequently.
    • A cream of rhubarb and sage has been cited as a homemade alternative to acyclovir cream.
    • Stress has been linked to cold sore outbreaks, so lowering your levels of stress could help.[9]

Maintaining Good Hygiene

  1. Keep your hands clean. If you want to stop a cold sore from growing or spreading it's essential to ensure that you maintain good hygiene. Keeping your hands clean by regularly washing them with soap and water will limit the chances of it spreading. You should try not to touch the cold sore at all, but you might do it involuntarily, so keeping your hands clean is essential.[10]
    • If you do touch the cold sore, be sure that you wash your hands immediately afterwards. If you don't, you could spread the virus to other parts of your body.
  2. Don't risk transporting the virus to someone else. You should be conscious that an important part of maintaining good hygiene is about avoiding the risk of spreading the virus to another person. You can take steps against this by doing simple things, such as not sharing objects which come into contact with the area around your cold sore. Don't share items such as towels, cups, lipgloss, a razor, or toothbrushes.[11]
    • It is also important not kiss anybody or perform oral sex. This can transport the virus to your partner.[12]
    • If someone has oral sex while they have a cold sore, they can transmit the virus to their partner and cause herpes in the genital area.[13]
  3. Wash your face gently. If you have a cold sore it can be awkward to wash your face. The key thing to remember is that you don't want to irritate the cold sore. Wash your face twice a day and only use mild soap. If this is irritating your sores, consider using just water. Remember to thoroughly wash your hands before you wash your face.[14]

Ensuring You Don't Irritate Your Cold Sore

  1. Don't touch it. If you have a cold sore and want to stop it growing and spreading, it's very important that you resist the urge to touch it, pick it, scratch it, or rub it. Touching a sore is surefire way to exacerbate it and risk spreading to other parts of your body.[6] If you touch the sore there is a risk of the virus spreading to your fingers, a condition known as herpes whitlow.
    • It is also possible for your eyes to become infected, potentially leading to scarring, injury and problems with your vision.
    • A cold sore can spread to other areas of your skin. If you have eczema this is a particular risk, and can become a serious medical problem.[15]
  2. Cover and protect the cold sore. To try and stop a cold sore from growing, it can be beneficial to cover it in some way that protects it from irritants but doesn't encourage further infection. Cold sore patches containing hydrocolloid gel can be used to cover and protect the sore. They are an effective way to treat skin wounds, allowing them to heal while under the protection of the patch.[3]
    • Alternatively, you can gently apply petroleum jelly over the sore to offer it some protection. If you do this be sure that you wash your hands thoroughly first.[16]
  3. Avoid irritants. As well as not touching it, you need to try and make sure no other irritants come into contact with the area where you have the sores. For some people sunlight can trigger outbreaks of cold sores. If this is your experience be sure to use plenty of sunblock to protect your skin, especially around your lips and mouth, or wherever the cold sores usually appear.[17]
    • If you have cold sores around your lips and mouth, spicy, salty and acidic food can irritate them. They to avoid these kinds of food when you have a cold sore.[7]



Warnings

  • Be alert for signs of a secondary infection, such as a high temperature, greenish-yellow puss, or swelling. Go to a doctor if you experience of any of these.
  • You should contact a doctor if the pain is such that you cannot eat or drink, you have sores on your genitals, near your eyes or nose, or any redness, pain or swelling in your eyes.
  • If the sores don't heal after two weeks, or new sores keep developing, contact your doctor.[7]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/basics/definition/CON-20021310?p=1
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/basics/treatment/con-20021310
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cold-sore/Pages/Treatment.aspx
  4. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11559210
  5. ↑ http://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/mini/cold-sores/hw31977.html#hw31988
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 http://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/mini/cold-sores/hw31977.html#hw31988
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 http://www.healthyhorns.utexas.edu/ht_coldsores.html
  8. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20021310
  9. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/basics/alternative-medicine/con-20021310
  10. ↑ http://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/mini/cold-sores/hw31977.html
  11. ↑ https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/e---h/herpes-simplex/tips
  12. ↑ http://www.ummed.org/health/medical/altmed/condition/herpes-simplex-virus
  13. ↑ http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?lic=1&ps=207&cat_id=20118&article_set=34192
  14. ↑ http://www.zovirax.com.au/living-with-cold-sores/does-and-donts/
  15. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/basics/complications/con-20021310
  16. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-p-connelly-dds/cold-sores-how-to-treat-get-rid-of_b_848207.html
  17. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/basics/prevention/con-20021310

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