Everyone’s bound to get a cold sore at least once in a lifetime. A cold sore is a little blister that forms around your mouth. Sometimes they hurt, sometimes they don’t, but most of the time, it can be treated. A lot of people associate cold sores with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like herpes, but that’s really not always the case. Before you assume the worst, it’s a good idea to educate yourself about cold sores, the causes, the symptoms and how to treat them.
Here are 10 things you should know about cold sores:
1. Cold sores are sometimes filled with fluid. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus which lives inside the nerve tissue. Cold sores are also known as fever blisters or Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV).
2. Once you have the HSV virus, you’ll have it for life. So those cold sore may recur quite often, but you can always treat it to heal it fast. A cold sore appears when the immunity system is low, so stock up on those vitamins!
3. The HSV virus is contagious, so avoid sharing lipstick, lip balms, toothbrush, cups or anything that comes in contact with your mouth when you have a cold sore. The virus is present in your saliva, and that is how it will infect another person.
4. Before a cold sore even appears, you may already have HSV. However, cold sores are triggered by various factors like exposure to sunlight, fever, stress, food allergies or hormonal changes.
5. A cold sore can last up to two weeks. Early signs of the cold sore includes tinging, burning or itching sensation around the skin of your lips.
6. When pus starts to develop in your cold sore, avoid picking at it, even when it’s at the crusting stage. It is extremely painful and you only will risk an infection.
7. Always see a doctor when you see a cold sore appearing on your lips. Treating it fast will can help prevent it from getting worse as you go.
8. If you’re willing to treat your cold sores naturally, tea tree oil is great to use. Tea tree oil is an antiseptic and it can reduce the duration of a cold sore by 50%. Simply dab a few drops of tea tree oil on your sore twice a day with a clean cotton ball.
Honey is also a great alternative, but what it does is boost your immune system to defend itself from HSV. Furthermore, the concentration of sugar in honey makes it hard for the germs and bacteria to survive, so applying it over the cold sore anytime you want will be a great way to heal it naturally.
But if it doesn’t get any better, and it recurs often, seek the assistance of a doctor.
9. Celebrities also get cold sores! Rihanna, Katie Holmes, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Alexa Chung, and Victoria Beckham have been spotted with cold sores too.
10. You can easily cover up a cold sore with some make-up, but always treat it with a little tea tree oil and Vaseline first. And don’t forget to use mild, non-irritating products to avoid the risk of infection. A simple concealer and tinted lip balm should do.
