Friday, July 17, 2009

Home-made Cold Sore Remedies

By James Mince

Do you happen to have or have had those annoying red blisters on your lip that you can't obviously hide? Well, then it is more likely that you have a cold sore. Cold sore first appears to be a small, hard spot on your lip that you still can't see and would then evolve into red blisters after a day or two. Also known as fever blisters, cold sores are common and are primarily caused by certain strains of the herpes virus. The certain strain of the virus that more frequently causes cold sores is the Herpes simplex virus type 1. The type 2 strain on the other hand is more responsible for genital herpes. But generally, either of the two strains of the virus is capable of causing these sores on our face or on our genital area. The infection is often spread by sharing eating utensils, towels, razors, and a lot more. Once you have had the infection, there is no turning back. The virus is incurable and there's no specific alternative to prevent any contractions of the Herpes virus. But then, there are known few steps to help you reduce the frequency of these cold sores and significantly decrease the duration of an occurrence.

A cold sore is not to be panicked about though it is accompanied with some pain and discomfort. A cold sore is quite simple to handle even without having to leave the comfort of your home. With the help of your computer, all the helpful home cold sore treatment are just a click away.

One basic tool in treating your cold sores is petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly may not be that good on genital herpes but it works pretty well on your cold sores. These petroleum based products have a certain component that effectively promotes faster healing. Cold sores can be a very unpleasant sight. In some cases, people would try to hide it from plain view by applying make-up. This can be a bad idea as there are certain chemicals on the make-up that can only cause negative reactions on the infected area, leading to worse results. Sharing lipsticks is also unadvisable as this habit can be an effective medium to spread the virus.

As what good dentists would say, buying yourself a new toothbrush at least once a month is a good dental practice. This also comes perfect after contracting yourself with a cold sore. Furthermore, a new toothbrush is needed after you have completely healed from the infection as the virus may have settled on your toothbrush and can still spread further on. Like any other blisters, the ones on cold sores are agonizing too. When the pain gets to you, it is recommended to take some pain relievers like aspirin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen.

If you are fond of eating chips and other salty foods, your lips may not like it as cold sores tend to get irritated further by this kind of foods and will only cause more pain. Acidic foods such as citrus foods also deliver the same effects so it is important to at least avoid this kind of foods for the meantime. Exposure to the harmful heat and rays of the sun also causes recurrence of cold sores. To help you effectively protect your lips from it, lip balms with sunscreens up to 15 or higher come very handy.

One important reminder whenever you have cold sores, avoid touching the infected area. No matter how tempting the situation gets, get a hold of yourself and try not to squeeze or even pick on your cold sore as it can cause further bacterial infection. Upon the initial stage of the infection cold compress with the use of ice packs effectively provide temporary relief. When in agonizing pain and you seem to be out of paracetamols and ibuprofens, milk is a perfect alternative as pain reliever. All you got to do is soak a cotton ball into the milk and apply it on the sores.

Cold sore is a painful ailment and an annoying one as well. But then, through the internet, you can get complete access on all the available home remedies for cold sores and spend the rest of the healing process at home. These helpful and reliable tips are yours for the take in just a single click.

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