Cold sore treatment versus cold sore sure

Current treatments are based on treating the symptoms simple because currently no cold sore cure is available, although research continues.

However, when we aren't suffering an outbreak we can still treat ourselves to try and ensure outbreaks are less frequent. By helping boost the body's natural defenses we can do ourselves a lot of good, not only looing and feeling better, but suffering fewer outbreaks of cold sores too.

Early treatment can shorten healing time

The average suffer experiencing a healing time of 7-10 days from the first sign of cold sore symptoms appearing.

The first cold sore symptom to appear is often a tingling sensation in the area that the sore will appear. This is due to the virus becoming reactivated and moving towards the surface of the skin, and if treatment is started at this stage it can help shorten the time you have a cold sore.

How to cure cold sores

The title of this blog post is slightly misleading, as the truth is that there is no cure for cold sores and so rather tell you how to cure cold sores I can only tell you how to avoid outbreaks, or how to treat the symptoms.

First, by focusing on the immune system and strengthening it through lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and eating well can improve immune system function. Specific remedies are required when an outbreak has occured and so then the focus is on fighting the virus.

Cold sore medicine: the challenge of finding effective treatments

Given that medical science has made a huge amount of progress in many areas and continues to do so, the lack of real progress in cold sore medicine toward finding a cure is a disappointment.

The remedies that are currently available are designed to tackle cold sore symptoms after they have occurred, rather than tackle the root cause of cold sores - herpes simplex virus.

And since these treatments can be disappointingly ineffective in many cases, it is clear that more research is required.

Cold sore home remedies

The widescale use of cold sore home remedies is due to the lack of efficacy of the medicines available as well as the fact that they can be expensive in comparison.

Some common remedies include lemon balm, applied either as a cream or as a solution made from a herbal infusion, as well as tea tree oil. You can read more about cold sore home remedies at the Cold Sore Treatment Guide.

Helping your body get rid of cold sores

The immune system is perfectly capable of getting rid of a cold sore without any outside help, but to do so takes 10 days or so. Luckily there are some steps we can take to aid our natural defenses.

Applying a topical remedy is strongly advised, whether a medicinal product such as Abreva, or another treatment such as tea tree oil. These help keep the sore covered and moist, which prevents the additional pain that comes from cracking or splitting.

Marking time for cold sore sures

For most of the time the herpes simplex virus simply lies dormant in our nerve cells, waiting for the moment that the immune system becomes too weak to held it back, usually due to illness or stress. However, once it wakes from this state, it can replicate and move to the skin's surface where it is able to wreak its damage.

Currently there is no treatment available that eradicates the virus from the body, they merely help treat the symptoms and help push the virus back into its sleeping state. While much medical research has been done, it seems that we are still no closer to making real cold sore cures available.