3 Tips For Dealing With Cold Sores
Colds sores are often a painful and embarrassing concern that many people will face throughout their life. Although the condition cannot be cured, there are ways to minimize the pain, potentially shorten outbreaks, and reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus.
Boost Your Immune System
Although having a strong immune system will not eliminate outbreaks, it can make them less frequent. Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus and the virus simply lies dormant until it is reactivated. This explains why changes in your body or illness can precipitate a cold sore, because stress, illness, or even your menstrual cycle can affect your immune system's ability to keep the virus dormant. Eating a healthy diet that is rich in antioxidants and nutrients is one of the best ways to help your immune system fight back. You should also supplement your diet with probiotics since these friendly bacteria can help prevent unhealthy microbes from overgrowing. Regular exercise and stress-reduction techniques can improve your immune system, and in turn reduce outbreaks.
Prevent The Spread
Many people who have experience with cold sores can usually tell when one will appear. They may feel itchiness or tingling before a cold sore is visible. Once you believe a cold sore is developing, this is the ideal time to work on preventing the spread to other people and not spreading the virus to other parts of your body. Avoid touching the area near the cold sore to prevent transferring the virus from your hands to another location. Make sure you wash your hands regularly, especially if you make contact with the cold sore. Keeping antibacterial wipes or hand sanitizer around is convenient when you need to quickly clean your hands. If you wear makeup, you may need to stop applying foundation around the affected area and avoid wearing lipstick. Otherwise, you will need to throw the items away to avoid reinfecting yourself.
Soothe The Area
There is little you can do to make a cold sore heal faster, other than trying antiviral medications. If you want a natural method of potentially speeding the healing process, you can try vanilla extract or licorice root. Pure vanilla extract contains alcohol, which can make the environment inhospitable for the virus. Try patting a little vanilla on the area with a cotton ball. Licorice root works similarly, because it contains acidic compounds. In addition to using natural products to help speed healing, you likely want to use ice or a cold compress to reduce pain and inflammation. Whatever method you choose to help treat a cold sore, you should start as soon as you begin to have a warning one is on the way.
Cold sores are common problems, and some people experience frequent outbreaks. Although there is no way to stop the viral infection, you may be able to reduce the number of outbreaks and make them less painful when they occur. To learn more about remedies, contact a company like Lippease.