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.

How to find which cold sore remedies work

When it comes to cold sore remedies you may initially be surprised at how different the response can be by different people. This doesn't just apply to natural remedies either, and the average response to treatment by one of the products from the drug companies has been shown to be similar to that of some natural remedies.

Unfortunately there is no way to know in advance what will work for you as an individual. Therefore you'll need to select a treatment and see if it works. By testing several cold sore remedies like this you should eventually find something that works.

How to treat cold sores: long term solutions

If you suffer cold sores you'll already know how unpleasant they are, but if you are lucky enough not to then one look at a sufferer while in the middle of an outbreak will prbably tell you all you need to know. As it is both painful and disfiguring demand is high for the knowledge of how to treat cold sores and help them heal fast.

Most cold sore treatments are designed to clear up the symptoms of an outbreak. This is simply because once infected with the virus it cannot be cured. Most of the time it lies dormant within the body, only becoming active when the immune system can no longer suppress it due to illness, or simply stress. Part of learning how to treat cold sores effectively is understanding what triggers outbreaks and making choices that can lessen the chances of one occurring.