How To Get Rid Of Cold Sores

Dealing with cold sores can be frustrating since they’re painful. Known as fever blisters, they tend to linger on your lips for a couple of weeks until they heal. Their common symptoms include itching and tingling, blisters, and oozing and crusting. Moreover, cold sores are a common viral infection caused by the highly contagious herpes simplex virus. But despite being contagious, they’re usually not serious. Cold sores may heal in approximately two to three weeks if you’re healthy.

Unfortunately, getting cold sores may not make you feel good. Since they’re grouped in patches around your lips, they’re displeasing to the eyes of others. You want to make them go away as quickly as possible. Thankfully, even if there are no specific cures for cold sores, there are some treatments that can help manage their outbreaks.

If you’re suffering from cold sores, below are some ways to help you get rid of these blisters:

Try Low-Level Red Light Therapy

One of the popular innovative treatments for cold sores is low-level red light therapy. It uses medically-optimized red light directed to the affected area to decrease inflammation, reduce pain, and promote faster healing of cold sore outbreaks.

Also, one of the best things about using red light therapy as a cold sore treatment is that it can be done at home. With the help of an FDA-registered device, you can use this chemical-free alternative for the effective home management of your annoying little blisters.

However, suppose you’re new to this innovative treatment. In that case, you can check more here or similar product websites and other resources online to obtain information about what to do when cold sores don’t go away for months.

Consider Natural Home Remedies

You may also get rid of cold sores by trying some natural home remedies. When used early, they may help relieve the pain and minimize inflammation or swelling. Some common home remedies you may try to eliminate cold sores include:

• Rubbing Alcohol: It may help lower the risk of contamination by drying the cold sores so they’ll heal quickly. But to obtain more favorable results, it’s best to use rubbing alcohol with 70% solution. Apply the alcohol to the cold sores with the help of a cotton swab.
• Vanilla Extract: You may also use vanilla extract to eliminate cold sores. Since it’s considered a natural anti-inflammatory substance, it may help heal the blisters in the fastest time possible. Like rubbing alcohol, you can use a cotton swab to apply the vanilla extract directly to the cold sore.
• Sea Salt: It may also help decrease the inflammation caused by cold sores. It contains a mineral that may help ease the discomfort associated with the blisters and encourage faster healing. Using it as a natural home remedy requires a solution made from sea salt and lukewarm water. Stir the solution properly and apply it to the blisters using a cotton swab.
• Tea: Various types of tea may help heal cold sores faster and ease their discomfort. Green tea, black tea, or white tea have antiviral properties that may help dry blisters. Although you can drink your tea, you may get better results if it’s directly applied to the affected area.
• Milk: Another way to get rid of cold sores, even at home, is to use milk. It contains L-lysine, which may help prevent a cold sore outbreak, resulting in a quick healing process. Aside from the outbreak, milk, when applied to the affected area, may also help alleviate the discomfort and pain of the blisters.

If nothing happens after routinely applying the above home remedies, you may consult your doctor to give you an assessment of your cold sores.

Apply Over-The-Counter Creams And Ointments

You may also eliminate cold sores by directly applying over-the-counter creams and ointments to the affected area. These topical treatments are available to alleviate pain and discomfort caused by the blisters. You can find some common OTC creams and ointments at your local drugstores, including benzocaine, lidocaine, and other similar products.

Prescription Medications

There are also prescription medications that may help heal cold sores quickly. It is especially true if you experience severe outbreaks and the blisters haven’t gone away for a long time. In that case, your doctor may think about prescribing you certain medications to reduce inflammation and pain and ease the healing process.

Some common prescription medications you may take include:   

• Acyclovir   
• Famciclovir   
• Penciclovir   
• Valacyclovir   

Generally, many may suggest taking these prescription drugs as early as possible to take advantage of a speedy healing process. But if you’re looking for a more desirable result, you should talk to your doctor before taking anything. That way, you may eliminate your annoying lip blisters while reducing the potential side effects.

Conclusion

Living with cold sores is an unpleasant experience. Although they’re not a serious skin condition, having these painful and unsightly blisters around your lips won’t make you feel good about yourself. However, keeping the information mentioned above in mind may help you get rid of cold sores as quickly as possible. When this happens, you can heal the blisters and move on with your beautiful life in no time.