Curing Cold Sores on Lips

talkingtopical | Jan 26, 2010 |

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It is an unfortunate reality that most people will get a cold sore at some point in their lives. There are a number of reasons for why this is this case, as we will be discussing in this article, however there is no need to be alarmed. Curing cold sores on lips is actually pretty easy if you follow some simple advice. The first thing that you have to do is understand what causes cold sores. Once you have an understanding of where the sores come from, you will be at an advantage when it comes to treating them.

Cold sore causes

The fact of the matter is that nobody likes cold sores. They are painful and unsightly and, for many people, serve as a source of embarrassment. However, the good news is that with an ounce of understanding you will be able to eliminate your cold sores in most instances or, at the very least, substantially minimize your cold sore outbreaks.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus which is an extremely common virus. It is estimated that more than 80% of all Americans are carriers of the Herpes Simplex I virus that causes cold sores on the lips and in other places on the face. The virus is extremely genetically similar to the virus that causes that genital herpes but is not, in fact, the very same virus. Because so many people are cold sore carriers, there may not be anything you can do about cold sore virus prevention. There is a good chance, even if you do not get cold sore outbreaks, that you are a carrier of the virus. However there are a number of things that you can do to minimize the occurrence and severity of outbreaks.

Preventing Cold Sores

The most important thing that you can do limit a cold sore is to be proactive. The way that cold sores work is that, before a viral outbreak, the virus localizes in a location on a person's lips. The virus concentrates itself in this one area. Before the cold sore outbreak actually occurs, you will feel it "coming on" so to speak. You will notice a warm, tingly sensation on the lip that will be present for about one day. The following day you will probably wake up with a cold sore on your lips.

Taking action when you first feel this sensation is imperative to minimizing the severity of the outbreak. A the first notice of these sensations you need to treat the area with an anti-viral ointment. A topical anti-viral lotion will kill or retard the bulk of the individual viruses responsible for the outbreak. You will not be able to completely prevent the cold sore from coming in on your lip, but it will be much less severe than it otherwise could have been.

The next step in curing cold sores on lips in to boost the power of your immune system to fight off the virus. There is a lot of study currently underway to determine why some people who have the cold sore virus do not actually develop the cold sores on their lips. It is believed that their immune system response suppresses the virus to some degree, minimizing outbreaks. Therefore, if you suffer from cold sore outbreaks, supercharging your immune system so that it can fight off the viruses is critical.

There are a number of herbal cold sore remedies that work in this fashion, that is they work on the immune system. Your best bet of these products is Super Lysine which is a naturally occurring agent known to effectively combat the cold sore virus. There are a number of top herbal vendors who sell Super Lysine (and products like it) online and typically these providers sell the highest quality supplements. If you are in a cold sore emergency and you can not wait for product shipping, you should be able to find a comparable product at a health store or vitamin store.

You should be aware that curing cold sores on lips is primarily a game of prevention. There are a number of proven strategies that will stop cold sore outbreaks before they occur. Because, unfortunately, once you begin to feel the tingling sensation on your lips, it is too late to completely avoid the cold sore. Therefore, in order to entirely prevent the cold sores from ever appearing in the first place, you will have to take measures to prevent them.

The good news is that curing cold sores on lips doesn't take any expensive prescription medication. If you are quick in your response to a one, you can quickly cure a cold sore with mostly natural methods.