How to dry a cold sore fast

Cold Sore Solutions That Actually Work

Whether you call them cold sores or fever blisters, if you’re among the more than 40% of Americans who regularly experience this inflammatory viral nuisance, you know they’re anything but a joy to deal with.

You’ve also probably heard of countless ways to deal with them, from over-the-counter remedies to treatment options that span generations.

So, what really works?

Well, quite honestly, what “works” when it comes to cold-sores, is management. Specifically, preventing, treating and eliminating the transmission of this most annoying of viruses.

Cold Sore Prevention

The adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is certainly true when it comes to cold sores. Knowing what causes them to surface is key.

The top two reasons are a weakened immune system, and exposure to rapidly changing weather.

To tackle the weather, always keep your preferred brand of lip moisturizer with sunscreen on hand to protect your lips from weather’s effect on your lips.

And, to boost your immune system, be sure to get enough sleep and find ways to combat stress in your life.

Also, as with most things in life, what’s good for our waistlines is good for our immune system. Here are some good dietary suggestions for cold sore sufferers:

1. Eat Raw, Alkalizing Foods: Fruits and vegetables are super-good for you. Eat as many of them as you enjoy.
2. Beef-up On Cruciferous Vegetables: Clinical studies are beginning to suggest that veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and kale are of great benefit to cold-sore sufferers.
3. Avoid Arginine: Cold-sores need the amino acid arginine to grow, so if you can limit the excess intake of this amino acid, you may be able to keep frequent outbreaks at bay. Nuts, chocolate, oats, and some protein shakes are high in arginine, and can be major cold-sore triggers.

By merely eating well and getting regular rest, you can help yourself avoid several outbreaks a year.

Cold Sore Treatment and Remedies

Preventing a cold sore from appearing is indeed your best medicine, and if you pay attention to what your body tells you, it is possible to dramatically reduce outbreaks.

When a cold-sore does gift you with its presence, though, here are a few things you can do to minimize its pain, size and duration.

1. Ice It! At the first sign of tingling, get thee to an ice cube, wrap it in a paper-towel, and place it on your lip where you feel the cold-sore coming on. Often two back-to-back applications of an ice cube until it melts can dramatically reduce the pain and swelling that accompanies the sore.
2. Slather It? Not Now, But Later. Cold sores love warm, moist environments, and this is precisely the environment you present to a cold-sore when you slather it in cream for days on end. You’re best to let it dry out to the point where it is no longer painful, and then begin applying cream or lip balm to minimize splitting. As the cold sore resolves itself, keep your lips moist to prevent bleeding, which also aids in the healing at this stage.

Eliminate Transmission of Cold Sores 

Avoid sharing food, utensils, towels, toothbrushes, or any other item that come in contact with your mouth. Also, be sure to avoid touching the cold sore and then later touching your eyes or genital area.

In fact, your best course of action is to avoid touching your mouth at all during an outbreak, and not again until after the scab has dropped off completely, and healed over. This can take some weeks, as you know.

Kissing, and other aspects of intimacy that involve your mouth should be avoided entirely. Wash your hands often – this cannot be stressed enough to avoid spreading the virus.

Having a cold sore is not the end of the world. Nine out of ten of all people get at least one cold sore in their life, so there is no need to hide or be embarrassed.

Understand your triggers, find a solution that works, don’t spread the virus, and stay healthy!

Call our to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.

At-Home Remedies for Cold Sores

When you have a cold sore, you want to act on it quickly. You may end up trying cold sore home remedies that friends, family or health websites recommend but you may find that these aren’t clinically proven. Some remedies may offer only temporary symptom relief, while others may have the potential to make the cold sore worse. With lots of anecdotal evidence out there, let’s unpack what some natural remedies for cold sores can do to help with symptoms, and whether or not they may be effective.

9 Natural Remedies for Cold Sores

Lemon Juice1.

While some studies have investigated lemon balm as a cold sore remedy,1,2 there is not enough research on the effects of lemon juice. Although some believe that lemon juice has antibacterial properties, applying lemon juice to your cold sore probably won’t help against the virus.

Tea Bags2.

Using tea bags as a cool compress may cool down any redness around the cold sore, similar to its use for other inflammation of the skin. It cannot however, fight the full infection.1

Alcohol/Witch Hazel3.

Rubbing alcohol and witch hazel are astringents, which might help dry out the cold sore.1,3 Using one or both of these, however, has not been chemically proven to heal the cold sore itself.

Ice4.

Using ice as a cold compress is an easy cold sore home remedy that can be used to provide temporary pain relief and help reduce redness and swelling of your cold sore.1 Consider using it on or near the affected area as necessary for relief.

Tea Tree Oil5.

Tea tree oil is known to have antiseptic properties. It might encourage the natural healing process by drying out the cold sore and may prevent bacterial infection, but it’s not clinically proven to treat cold sores.4

Vanilla Extract6.

Pure vanilla extract is alcohol based. As an astringent, it may function in the same way as rubbing alcohol or witch hazel.

Salt Water7.

Salt may help change the environment around the virus so it can’t thrive. While it might dry up the cold sore, it can also be painful to your skin.3

Petroleum Jelly8.

Petroleum jelly may help soften the skin on or around the lips and provide a protective layer against infection. It will not necessarily shorten the healing time of the cold sore, however.

Hot Compress9.

Using a warm or hot compress (a clean towel soaked with warm-hot water) may help reduce the inflammation.1 It can be applied over the sores in an interval of 20 minutes.

Although these remedies may help with temporary symptom relief, or to minimize bacterial infections, home remedies for cold sores are not necessarily a cure-all. Over-the-counter Abreva Cream, however, can help. In clinical testing, Abreva has been proven to reduce healing time of cold sores when used at the first sign of a cold sore. The median healing time is 4.1 days, but 25% of users see healing results in 2.5 days. As with any home remedy or medication, be sure to speak to a healthcare professional or your provider beforehand. Cold sores can definitely be challenging to live with, but there are plenty of resources available to help mitigate your symptoms. For more information on cold sore topics such as these, be sure to visit the Abreva site.

SOURCES:

1. Cold sore – Diagnosis & treatment. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20371023. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

2. Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23195812/. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

3. Cold and Canker Sores. University of Michigan Health Service. https://uhs.umich.edu/coldcankersores. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

4. Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil gel (6%) for the treatment of recurrent herpes labialis. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/48/3/450/736091. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

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