If you are curious about cold sores, this article should answer a lot of your questions. We have learned so much about cold sores in recent years. Read this article and arm yourself with the facts about these unsightly blisters.
WHAT ARE COLD SORES?
Cold sores really interfere with our lives. Painful and unsightly, cold sores greatly affect your personal and social life.
Cold Sores are the exact same sore as fever blisters and oral herpes. They appear and reappear at the site of initial infection. The lip area is the most frequent infection site.
Herpes simplex virus, either type 1 or type 2, produces all cold sores. It is a very damaging virus, as you will see.
The herpes virus enters your body wherever it is able and will choose a close-by nerve as its home for life. The cold sores created by this virus family will always be at the end of the nerve fiber it inhabits.
WHAT CAUSES A COLD SORE?
Most of the time this herpes virus will sleep in the root cells of its home nerve. If it becomes active, it will wiggle to the surface through the nerve and drill into your surface nerve cells.
Unlike bacteria, the herpes virus can’t reproduce its own kind. In parasite fashion, the herpes virus enters your nerve cells and forces them to become virus factories.
The cold sore area will swell up as the cells fill up with the new virus particles. Once full, the cells burst open to release tons of this fresh herpes virus.
When the herpes virus annihilates many cells, you end up with an open wound called a cold sore. Painful they are because you now have exposed nerve endings.
HOW CONTAGIOUS ARE COLD SORES?
The herpes simplex virus is an extremely tiny living particle. It enters the body through soft tissue - like lips - or through cracks in the skin. You are very contagious from the first itching until the final healing redness is gone.
Kissing is the usual way to pass on this virus. Contaminated fingers are also a common culprit. Please use every means to protect yourself and others. Use alcohol soaked tissues to cleanse the sore. Wash your hands afterwards.
You can spread the cold sore to any place on your body. You can get cold sores on your fingers, arm or cheek if the virus gets through a crack or other sore to the soft tissue. These can be more painful than common lip sores.
Watch out for your eyes. People do get cold sores in the eyes and it can cause permanent damage.
Nearly 90% of folks on earth carry the herpes simplex virus. The majority of these people will get a sore at least once a year - and usually a lot more.
HOW CAN I GET RID OF MY COLD SORES?
Stress is the most common reason that the herpes virus becomes active. Under stress, your hormones change, causing an acid pH balance. The herpes simplex virus does very well when your body is in an acid state.
Without your help, your body will heal all oral herpes cold sores. It is slow, however, and often takes three to four weeks or more. Slash this time in half with a proven cold sore treatment program.
Your best bet for effective cold sore treatment is still by using natural remedies. They usually work better than prescription and over-the-counter options.
Garlic, lysine and the healing mineral zinc are three of several great cold sore treatment plans currently in use. Use all three topically, but lysine and zinc will do their best work if taken internally with supplements.
It is critical for you to keep sterilizing the cold sore area with alcohol or peroxide - using cotton balls or tissues.
No doubt about it - oral herpes cold sores damage your social life as well as your lip. Yes, they are hard to cope with. But now, with the knowledge you have just gained, you are much more prepared for the next battle.
It takes a little trial and error to find the best cold sore treatment for your own needs. But when you do, you will enjoy beautiful cold sore freedom.