Cold sore, dry lips are a common problem in many people in the winter. It is typically characterized by small, red blisters on or near the lips. Cold sore is a viral infection, caused by exposure to herpes simplex virus type 1. People who have cold sore experience the discomfort and disgrace of having a cold sore. Generally, it takes 8 to 10 days for a cold sore to heal on its own without treatment, the fact remains that the duration can seem like a lifetime to sufferers. By employing a few prevention tips and treatment options, everyone can decrease the healing time, and even reduce the number of outbreaks.

Sore lips are annoying and painful outbreaks which take weeks to clear up. Number of things can trigger cold sore outbreaks including hormones, greasy foods, over exposure to the sun, stress, over exposure to wind and cold, and illness. According to some estimation, the level of HSV-1 infection in the general population is 70 to 80 percent, with the majority of these probably picked up in childhood from contact with infected adults. Cold sore virus forms painful blisters or the sores on your skin, mostly on your lips and only after this they are infectious. So, avoid contact with the fluid and sore until it is healed.

Cold Sore Facts:

Each year, approximately 40 million people are affected by cold sores. Usually, cold sores appear around the mouth and on the lips.

Factors that can activate cold sores or fever blisters:

Basically, a cold sore is the result of a compromised immune system. However, some factors can also activate cold sores.

• Fever
• Hormonal changes
• Refined sugars
• Stress
• Over exposure to sunlight
• Fatigue
• Infections (i.e. colds)

Symptoms of cold sore:

• Oozing of lesion
• Eruption of lesion
• Tingling discomfort or itching
• Lesion dries and forms a thin yellowish scab
• Redness and swelling

Treatments of cold sore:

Several treatment options are available for the cold sore sufferers including prescription medications and over the counter (OTC) topical treatments. In order to avoid prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs that may have unpleasant side effects, many people with cold sores look for natural treatments.

Prescription medications:

Those individuals for whom over-the-counter treatments do not effectively manage the pain and discomfort of the lip sore, medications are prescribed for cold sore. Medications which are prescribed by doctors may promote healing and may shorten the life of the cold sore by up to 12 hours. When treatment is implemented at the onset of an outbreak, these medications are most effective.

Over the counter topical treatments:

There are three classes of OTC medications for cold sore treatment.

The first category fundamentally provides pain relief by working to lighten the burning and itching related with mouth sores. Pain relief occurs with these medications as a result of the numbing features of ingredients such as phenol, lidocaine, benzyl alcohol and camphor.

The second class of OTC drugs works to inhibit growth of sores that are beginning to form, and also promote healing. This category of drugs has antibacterial properties that prevent further infections from occurring.

The third and last category of OTC cold sore treatments has preventive effect and it blocks the virus’ ability to create cold sores. These treatments are moneyed in antiviral ingredients such as zinc, phenol, tannic acid and lysine.

Home remedies:

Several home remedies or natural remedies have been recommended to be useful in the management of cold sores.

• Aloe Vera juice is extremely effective and can be consumed as a drink or rubbed directly onto the sores. Aloe vera has moisturizing effect on the affected area and it may soften scabs making them less susceptible to cracking and bleeding. It can be very useful when blisters are just starting to develop because it can help to prevent them from getting larger.
• Tea tree oil is another good herbal remedy as it has an antiviral property. It will also help to alleviate the itching that can be caused by blisters. For the application of tea tree oil, drip a few drops of teat tree oil on a cotton swab or ball and apply directly to the affected areas as soon as you feel the initial tingling and on the blisters themselves when they develop.
• Lemon balm has also antiviral properties. You can either use an ointment that contains it (to be applied directly to the sore) or drink an infusion or tea that contains the herb. Lemon balm ointments can be applied to blisters throughout the day. If you drink lemon balm tea you can also use the tea leaves as a poultice for the application to blisters for one to two hours.
• For the smoothening of wax, heat it under the double boiler. Continue stirring the wax and add 2 tsp. of raw honey in it. For sore lips, raw honey is one of the best ingredients due to its moisturizing property and it promotes healing and kills bacteria.
• Melt 4 Tbsp. of beeswax on the top portion of a double boiler with constant stirring. Heat the wax slowly and never heat wax in a microwave or regular pan, as it is potentially flammable if exposed to direct heat.  Use beeswax pellets, or chop the beeswax into small pieces for best results before beginning your lip healing balm.
• Apply ice to the affected area for a few minutes several times each day. A warm compress made from a tea bag is often soothing to cold sore sufferers when used 30 minutes per day.
• Build a strong foundation by starting a good multi-vitamin and mineral regimen before you do anything else. Avoid the one or two per day rip-offs.
• Be sure that you take as much as 2000 milligrams of calcium daily. This will help to keep your body pH in the alkaline range. The herpes virus cannot get traction unless stress causes your body to go acid.
• You can also apply garlic oil to the cold sore area. Garlic is amazingly strong medicine against nearly any pathogen. It actually penetrates the skin in just minutes. Crushed fresh garlic is the best for use. Also, you can use garlic oil from capsules. For this, you have to just cut the end off of the capsule and apply.
• It is also advisable to eat a diet which is rich in fruits and vegetables as they contain key vitamins, iron, and zinc, important building blocks for a healthy immune system.

The herpes virus that causes cold sores is contagious.  To control the spread of virus, several vital steps are necessary as follows:

• Do not share personal hygiene items.
• Exercise proper hand washing techniques.
• Avoid direct skin-to-skin contact of the affected area or saliva with others.
• At last, avoid picking at the sores as this makes not only an open environment for bacterial infection, but also a means of transmitting the virus to other areas of the body including the eyes, nose, chin, and fingers.

Prevention of Cold Sores:

Prevention is better than cure. Here is some tips by which you can prevent the spread or outbreak of cold sores.

• Apply a moisturizing lip balm with UV protection when outdoors to protect against sun, wind, and dry cold air.
• Avoid coffee because some consider it can raise the frequency of cold sore outbreaks.
• Avoid sharing food, utensils, etc.
• Avoid touching the blisters or sores and definitely do not pinch, pick, or squeeze them.
• Infected individuals should wash their hands frequently to limit the chances of the virus being passed on to others. This is especially important if the sore is touched.
• Avoid the triggers that may be responsible for outbreaks such as stress, fatigue, facial sunburn, exposure to cold weather, and exposure to dry air environments.
• Do not use cosmetics on the affected areas because they may infuriate the cold sores.
• Acidic and salty foods will infuriate the sores and cause more pain. It is best not to consume these foods during an outbreak.
• Individuals with cold sore symptoms should keep away from other individuals to avoid spreading the virus. Skin contact activities such as kissing should be prohibited.

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