Treating a cold sore with these time-proven methods will give you quick, lasting success. Read this informative article now. You will get some proven and excellent techniques for treating a cold sore.
Treating a cold sore is never fun. Cold sores seem to happen at the worst times. They are ugly, painful and a big inconvenience. And they can be difficult to treat, especially when you have a busy schedule.
One good thing about cold sores - they form on the surface of your skin where you can easily take care of them. If they were an internal sore, like some diseases, they could be life threatening.
In treating a cold sore, it is important to know the various stages. Each stage or symptom requires a different care procedure.
Let us look at the treatment for cold sores one stage at a time.
1. The first cold sore symptom is the itching stage. This tingling sensation indicates the movement of the herpes virus to the surface to replicate. This virus enters thousands of nerve cells, each one becoming a virus factory.
At this stage you should put something cold on the area. Ice cubes in a plastic bag work well. You can also use a cold can of soda. Cold really discourages the virus and can cause it to give up before it actually creates the sore.
2. Once the virus actually enters the cells, swelling begins to occur. Cold application is still the best treatment at this stage. Apply for 15 minutes at a time. This always helps swelling, and does give some comfort.
3. During the next stage, the open wound appears. This is because of the devastation of thousands of cells by the herpes virus. Ice no longer is the best treatment for your cold sore. Your wound is now in the healing stages.
Ice will still provide great comfort, and reduce swelling. But, unfortunately, it slows down the healing process by driving blood away from the area.
Treating a cold sore at this stage primarily requires you to cleanse the wound as often as possible with alcohol or peroxide. I prefer peroxide because it also adds some extra healing oxygen to the sore.
Instead of ice, from now on, use products that have a nerve-deadening ingredient. One of the oldest, time-proven products on the market is Campho-Phenique. They now offer several different formulas to choose from.
4. Treating a cold sore, from this point on, calls for applying warmth as much as possible. This will speed healing by bringing more blood to the area.
Keep cleansing the area, even when scabbed over. Keep using the Campho-Phenique or whatever treatment you choose. Drug store cold sore treatments are great for comfort. But they generally will not shorten the duration by any measurable degree.
HOW TO APPLY HEAT. To apply healing warmth, you can use a washcloth or paper towel dipped in hot water. You also can dampen the washcloth and warm up in your microwave. Just be careful not to burn your skin.
A better method, in my opinion, is the use of a warm tea bag. This way of treating a cold sore not only speeds healing from the heat, but also bathes the area with anti-viral compounds found in tea. Lemon balm herb and mint seem to be especially useful in this regard.
PLEASE USE CAUTION. Cold sores, which are another name for oral herpes, are extremely contagious. You can easily infect others or create new areas of infection on yourself.
Each cold sore family creates cold sores in the same area. If you have a cold sore on your nose, and one on your lip, these are caused by two separate cold sore infections. The most troublesome is spreading it to your eyes. This can cause permanent vision loss.
When treating a cold sore, be careful not to touch the sore with your fingers. Use cotton balls or tissues to cleanse and apply any treatment. Always wash your hands after working on the sore. Hand sanitizing gel is great insurance against spreading the cold sore.
Cold application is for slowing the growth at the beginning, and heat is for quick healing. Keep the cold sore clean and avoid contaminating your fingers while treating a cold sore.
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