Learn how to get rid of these annoying blemishes as fast as you possibly can. Learn more about vaccine availability.
Advertising Policy. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Cold sores: To know them is to loathe them. Related Articles. After someone has contracted the virus, it remains inactive dormant most of the time. However, every so often the virus can be activated by certain triggers, resulting in an outbreak of cold sores. These triggers vary from person to person, but can include sunlight, fatigue, an injury to the affected area, and, in women, their period.
Some people have frequently recurring cold sores around two or three times a year, while others have one cold sore and never have another. Some people never get cold sores at all because the virus never becomes active. However, antiviral creams are available over the counter from pharmacies without a prescription.
If used correctly, these can help ease your symptoms and speed up the healing time. To be effective, these treatments should be applied as soon as the first signs of a cold sore appear — when you feel a tingling, itching or burning sensation around your mouth.
Using an antiviral cream after this initial period is unlikely to have much of an effect. Cold sore patches are also available that contain hydrocolloid gel, which is an effective treatment for skin wounds.
The patch is placed over the cold sore while it heals. Read more about treating cold sores. Cold sores are usually mild, but may cause complications in rare cases. People with weak immune systems caused by illness or treatments such as chemotherapy are particularly at risk of complications.
Dehydration sometimes occurs if drinking fluids becomes painful. Young children are particularly at risk of becoming dehydrated. The herpes simplex virus can also spread to other parts of your body. Examples of when this can occur include:. Left untreated, herpetic keratoconjunctivitis can cause the cornea, the transparent layer at the front of your eye, to become infected, which can eventually lead to blindness.
It's therefore important not to touch your eyes if you have an unhealed cold sore. If you must touch your eyes — for example, to remove contact lenses — wash your hands thoroughly first. In very rare cases, encephalitis, a condition where the brain becomes inflamed and swollen, can be caused by the cold sore virus spreading to the brain. It can be treated with intravenous injections of antiviral medications, such as aciclovir.
It's not possible to prevent infection with the herpes simplex virus or prevent outbreaks of cold sores, but you can take steps to minimise the spread of infection.
Cold sores are at their most contagious when they burst rupture , but remain contagious until they're completely healed. Avoid close contact with others until your cold sore has completely healed and disappeared. However, there's no need to stay away from work or miss school if you or your child have a cold sore.
You can help minimise the risk of the cold sore virus spreading and cold sores recurring by following the advice below:. You won't usually have any symptoms when you first become infected with the herpes simplex virus the primary infection. Symptoms of the primary infection are most likely to develop in children younger than five years old.
Symptoms include:. Herpes simplex gingivostomatitis usually affects young children, but adults can also develop it. It can last 7 to 14 days, with the sores taking up to three weeks to heal. However, gingivostomatitis doesn't usually recur after the primary infection. Primary herpes simplex viruses are rare in adults, but the symptoms are similar to those experienced by children.
You'll usually have a sore throat with or without swollen glands. You may also have bad breath halitosis and painful sores in and around your mouth.
These can develop into ulcers with grey or yellow centres. If you develop the herpes simplex virus at an early age, it may be triggered periodically in later life and can cause recurring bouts of cold sores. So you nipped your last cold sore flare-up in the bud like a champ , and it lasted less than a week — but here you are, just a few months later, and the cold sores are back.
There's good news, and then there's bad news. Let's start with the bad news. Instead, the virus travels back into your nerves, where it can lie dormant for long periods of time.
When the virus reemerges, it typically does so in the same spot as before. But, here's the good news. While there's not much you can do about some of these triggers, others can be avoided. If you suffer from cold sores and think they may be caused by stress, it's a good idea to manage your stress via mediation or other relaxation techniques," suggests Dr. But, while you may not know it, the virus can also spread by sharing: Cosmetics Food and drink Lip balm Razors Toothbrushes Towels Utensils and drinking glasses "The virus is most contagious when a cold sore is present, particularly when the blister begins to ooze," Dr.
They can break open, ooze, and crust over, lasting for around 7 to 10 days. Those 7 to 10 days can be brutal, but you may find comfort in home remedies and natural treatments.
About 90 percent of adults across the globe test positive for the virus that causes cold sores. Most of these people will likely never show symptoms, but some may deal with recurring breakouts. When a person first contracts the virus, they will experience a breakout within just a few days. The initial breakout can be the worst, accompanied by a fever, sore throat, aches and pains, and a headache. It simply remains dormant in your nerve cells.
Flare-ups can occur at any time and are triggered by things like stress, hormonal fluctuations, surgery, fevers, illness, or sun exposure. But while they can be unavoidable, there are a few things you can do to calm or shorten the duration of a cold sore outbreak. Try these home remedies, but be aware that they may not help everyone. Prescription antiviral medications are proven to be much more effective for both treatment and prevention of cold sore outbreaks.
The antiviral properties of lemon balm, also known as Melissa officinalis , may help reduce the redness and swelling associated with a blister or protect against future infections — at least according to some older research.
Use a lip balm with at least 1 percent lemon balm.
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