Both common and contagious, cold sores appear as a single blister or as a cluster of them, on the lips, nose, chin or cheeks. They often recur in the same spot. If you get cold sores, it’s because you were infected with herpes simplex virus, probably in childhood. Once you get the virus, it stays with you for life. Though it’s usually dormant in your body, the virus is triggered by stress, menstruation, sunlight, fever, dry chapped lips, or local skin trauma.
Cold Sore Signs
When a cold sore is getting ready to appear, you may experience tingling or burning, redness, itching or pain around your lips or mouth. Next, the blister forms. Finally it breaks and forms a crust, which eventually falls off and leaves behind a pinkish skin that heals without a scar. The entire process usually takes between 8 to 10 days.
How Long Does a Cold Sore Last?
Cold sores often clear up on their own. Treatments such as Clera Cold Sore Treatment are effective in preventing blister formation if applied early. Clera Cold Sore Treatment contains stannous fluoride, a medicine that works to strengthen healthy cells’ resistance to the cold sore virus. This makes the virus less likely to enter the cell to begin the process of infection, while also soothing the initial discomfort and irritation.
How to Prevent Cold Sores
You can take steps to guard against cold sores – to prevent them from occurring and to prevent the virus from being passed to other parts of your body or to other persons:
- Moisturize your lips regularly to prevent their becoming dry or chapped. A lip balm with SPF is ideal, as sun exposure is a common trigger for cold sores. Try Ombrelle SPF 30 Lip Balm or Anthelios SPF 50+ Lip Stick.
- Learn to manage your stress. Stress in itself is not a bad thing – as long as it is met with effectively. Find out what relieves your stress best, and embrace it as part of your daily life.
- Sleep well and eat a healthy diet. A strong immune system reduces outbreaks.
- Avoid skin contact and sharing food, cups/glasses/cans, utensils and towels when blisters are present. Note that children are especially vulnerable to this virus.
- Wash your hands often to avoid passing on the virus or infecting other areas of your body.
