Cold sores

[curvygrace]

thankyou so much for this thread - pulling on my jeans and going to holland and barrats NOW!!

i get at least 4 coldsores a year but this one is really taking the biscuit! skint - pulled muscle - sore throat and now coldscore! goddammmitt! really miserable, it seems iv tried every remedy in the book but this sounds good.

[pussywillow]

Hi
I bought a product on line called H Balm. Its imported for the states. It dries your skin out but it works a treat ! I take Lysine now. Really good. Dont forget you can get Acyclovir tablets on prescription if its really bad.
Good Luck
xx

[ParisB]

thankyou so much for this thread - pulling on my jeans and going to holland and barrats NOW!!

i get at least 4 coldsores a year but this one is really taking the biscuit! skint - pulled muscle - sore throat and now coldscore! goddammmitt! really miserable, it seems iv tried every remedy in the book but this sounds good.

Grace your in Bristol aren't you ....
If you go to Holland & Barret in Cabot Circus you can get Ly-sine  tablets on 2 for 1 one so its ?7.50 for 2 bottles get the 500mg  also get the lysine balm and tea tree oil  it will cost you about ?15   Cold sore will be gone in a by the end of the week
Keep taking the tablets every day regardless of if you have a cold sore or not

[Mrs Mischief]

Some tips regarding cold sores...

Ensure your Zinc levels are good, a Vitamin C & Zinc supplement is good as Zinc interferes with the virus ability to reproduce.

If you want to reduce the risk of getting a cold sore you can use Aciclovir (Zovirax) cream as a preventative measure. Put a tiny amount on and rub it in to your lips so it won't notice.

If you get an outbreak use the cream ASAP and keep using it for a few days after any visible signs have gone this weakens the virus for the next outbreak.

To speed up the process place ice on the sore, it can be uncomfortable and cause your lip to go numb but the virus depends on being at body temperature to reproduce. Chilling the area slows down reproduction of the virus while the Aciclovir cream sets to work killing the virus.

Lastly REST as much as possible, you will find that your immune system works its magic at attacking the virus much better when you are asleep. I have found that a sore that would normally take over a week to go can be dealt with in 3 days this way.

[GoddessCC]

Praise this thread! I was wondering if it were acceptable for people who get cold sores to escort. This answers that question and gives some amazing advice.

I've always used rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide the moment i feel the tingles and 50% of the time it will stop the blister from forming. After it's formed though, I'll use those to keep the area sanitized and dry. I have to be careful that I don't let me lips dry out to much because if they crack, there's another sore.

I'm definitely going to try and get my hands on some of this Lysine & Zovirax and use them for prevention.

[Caledonia]

Am I the only one that doesn't get any warning signs that they have a cold sore developing?

Seriously I just seem to wake up and there's a cold sore, no tingling or anything.

[GoddessCC]

Am I the only one that doesn't get any warning signs that they have a cold sore developing?

Seriously I just seem to wake up and there's a cold sore, no tingling or anything.

Unless I wake up to one, I feel this weird discomfort that I guess you could call tingling, I really don't know what other word to use for it, maybe itchy. I guess it feels like there's a small electric current buzzing in my lip, not too noticeable but if my lip brushes up against something and one is forming it's very noticeable.

I guess it's a bit of a blessing that it lets me catch it before it's fully formed, but it literally takes minutes from the initial discomfort for the blister to pop up. I hate the feeling of cold sores.

[Nia Hope]

I used to get them every few weeks until I started taking lysine tablets from Holland and Barrett every day and when I do get one I put the lysine gel on it and it halves the healing time, it's the only thing I've found to work for me. I try to stay healthy and stress free and rarely get them now.

[Girl next door]

Praise this thread! I was wondering if it were acceptable for people who get cold sores to escort. This answers that question and gives some amazing advice.

About 7 in 10 people in the uk already have this virus. Only 1 in 5 get noticeable symptoms.
So i think yes it's acceptable to escort as long as you are outbreak free at the time.

[Caledonia]

I found I was getting them a lot when I offered owo, since changing to ow I only get occasionally.

[Fabulassie]

These have plagued me for a while, although I went a few months without getting any. Then last week I got one and I didn't catch it in time to prevent it. (I used to use just aciclovir ointment.)

Like others have said, vigorous kissing can bring them on - when I got mine I kissed vigorously at the same time I was going through a stressful time. The other thing that can bring them on is sunlight. I own an SPF lip balm but I neglect to wear it every day.

I have managed to keep it small but it's still visible.

I'm going to be prepared in the future. I will always wear my SPF balm. I will take Lysine every day. I already keep aciclovir ointment handy (in my wallet and my bedside table) but I have also ordered the aciclovir tablets and those will travel with me always. If I get to the tingle stage (or even if I miss it by a couple of hours) I will take the tablets for five days. I am also going to buy the infrared light treatment thing from Boots, as I heard that is effective and I will use that as it can be used as well as the ointment. I have heard that ice works but I rarely have that handy - you have to get it when it's still tingling. But if I can also get ahold of ice I will use that, too.

[Fabulassie]

Wanted to add: if you're working with a patch (which should be OK in terms of containing the potential infectiousness) you might find it helpful to use Lipcote as well. They sell it in places like Boots and I got some in Primark. It's almost like a nail polish you put over top of lipstick to seal it and make it last. I put some over the patch/lip and then put on makeup and then another coat of Lipcoat. It keeps it from lifting at the edges as well as keeps the concealing makeup in place.

[Luciexx]

There is a thing called, viral shedding with herpes viruses.  When someon does not have an active outbreak, asymptomatic, the virus can be passed onto the partners of the herpes-positive carriers, who can present with a mild symptoms or no symptom whatsoever.  This is why herpes can be easily passed on as you do not necessarily see the open sores in your lips or over your genital.

[Fabulassie]

There is a thing called, viral shedding with herpes viruses.  When someon does not have an active outbreak, asymptomatic, the virus can be passed onto the partners of the herpes-positive carriers, who can present with a mild symptoms or no symptom whatsoever.  This is why herpes can be easily passed on as you do not necessarily see the open sores in your lips or over your genital.

Since a large majority of people have HSV1, then what?

[LovelyLolaxx]

There is a thing called, viral shedding with herpes viruses.  When someon does not have an active outbreak, asymptomatic, the virus can be passed onto the partners of the herpes-positive carriers, who can present with a mild symptoms or no symptom whatsoever.  This is why herpes can be easily passed on as you do not necessarily see the open sores in your lips or over your genital.

Most people have the virus. It's hard to detect in the system without an outbreak, which most people don't get. You can have the virus, spread it, without having a noticeable blister or outbreak on your lip (or genitalia, even). Lots of people have a strong enough immune system to fight the virus and keep it dormant in your nerve endings. Unfortunately, some of us don't (me).

It's a shame people aren't more educated about it. The real reason people are so "disgusted" by a cold sore is because of the stigma attached to it. They are painful and shitty to have. But there are way worse things you can get than a cold sore.