Cold sores are unsightly and can cause severe irritation. It can be caused by colds or stress. The herpes simplex virus causes cold sores. This virus is said to lie inactive in the nerve cells. It can be activated by anxiety, cold, sun exposure and anxiety. Cold sores can last up to 7 to 14 days depending on your immune system.
People mistake cold sores to canker sores, but these two are completely different problems. Canker sores are caused by bacterial infections in the mouth. They appear to be round, white and red areas with an outer red layer. Canker sores unlike cold sores are not contagious.
Hiding cold sores with makeup can cause it to get more irritated. Yet, having a cold sore sticking out in your face every time you look in the mirror. Though there really isn’t much you can do to lessen the appearance of cold sore. You can do something to make it cure faster. Below are some tips to help you get rid of cold sores and some preventive measure you can take to prevent passing it on to other people.
Licorice
Glycyrrhizin acid is a component in licorice that can help kill the virus cells in cold sores. If it can’t stop the virus, it can at least counter the symptoms of the virus. Licorice has anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties that can counteract the effect of the virus. Munching on some licorice whips isn’t the ideal way to fix your cold sores. What you will need is cream and licorice powder. Take a tablespoon of licorice root extract or powder and two teaspoons of petroleum jelly or half a teaspoon of fresh water. Mix the ingredients together until you make your ideal texture of cream, if you want it to be more diluted, add more water or if you want it to be creamier add more licorice. The best mixture would be with petroleum jelly, since it can speed up the healing process. To apply the cream, take a cotton swab and dip it in cream. Apply a thin layer over the cold sore, make sure you get it all over the affected area and a little beyond it. Leave it on overnight every day until the sores completely heal. You can place the cream you’ve made in a small jar and store it in the fridge. You can also opt for drinking licorice tea every day, but it doesn’t work as much as its topical counterpart.
Vanilla
This remedy will only work with pure and real vanilla extract. Vanilla is a great cold sore remedy, it has been used for traditional medicine for years. It is said that vanilla extract works as a cold sore remedy due to the slight alcohol in vanilla. The contents of pure vanilla extract makes the area of the cold sure inhabitable for the virus. This will prevent it from spreading and possibly removing it completely. Try to use organic vanilla extract, since it safer on the skin. Apply the vanilla extract with a cotton swab. Soak the cotton swab in vanilla and dab it all over the cold sore. Leave it to dry, perform this four times a day until the sore completely fades away.
Toothbrush
You can be further infecting yourself with your toothbrush. Throw it away as soon as you spot the blisters and throw away the new one when your sores completely heals. Make sure you prevent spreading the virus in your home. Since it is contagious, avoid sharing anything at home. Separate your toothbrush from everybody else’s, don’t let your family members or special someone share the same pillow case of you.
Milk
Whole milk can help ease the pain and speed the healing in the process of the cold sore. Milks immunoglobulins are anti-bodies that can fight off the herpes virus. L-lysine in milk can also stop the spread of the virus and speed healing. Drink milk every day to help lessen the pain or dab a cotton swab in whole milk. Apply this in the affected area and leave it on for a few minutes. Wipe it off with a moistened towel.
You can cover up cold sores using a petroleum based protection product. This will help protect the cold sore from further infection and bacteria. This product will also help hasten the healing process. Having this cold sores can be painful, you can get rid of this pain by using ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin. Any type of pain killers will help alleviate the pain. Since cold sores generally appear on the lips, prevent sharing spoons, glasses, and other utensils to prevent spreading the virus.
