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Blisters that may appear on or around the area of your lips may be an indication that you need to know how to treat cold sores. This disease does not only occur on the lips. They can afflict any part of the body including the face, the inside of the mouth, on or inside the nose, or even the genitals.

Cold sores are caused by herpes’ virus infection. The virus can either be herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) or herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), with the latter causing genital sores. This condition is rarely life threatening and is more common than you might think. Approximately six out of ten people look for ways how to treat a cold sore.

The first time a person gets cold sores, the above symptoms are noticeable and upon treating cold sores the virus will remain dormant in the ganglion or nerve cell junctions. Cold sores may recur although the symptoms are milder since the sufferer’s body has already developed antibodies against the virus.

Tingling and itch are often the only indications of a repeat cold sore. However, caution should be taken in how to cure cold sores, since this disease can be transferred from one person to another via direct contact with the infected part of the skin.

How to Treat a Fever Blister

Treatment as early as the symptoms of the condition manifest is essential if you want to shorten the course of cold sores. For those who are wondering how to treat fever blisters, doctors usually give the following medications:

Oral Drugs

Medicines taken orally are usually the primary course of action for patients who have experienced cold sores for the first time. It is important that the drugs be absorbed quickly in the bloodstream since initial outbreak of the disease is a lot worse than recurrent ones. The FDA has approved antiviral tablets or capsules like Famciclovir, Valacyclovir, and Acyclovir for treating a cold sore.

Topical medications

These drugs can help especially during repeat occurrence of the condition. It can be in the form of creams, gels or ointments that are applied on the affected surface of the skin. Drugs like Denavir, Zovirax, Lidocaine are recommended to reverse the progress of cold sores within two days.

Topical medications like Rinstead, Anbesol, and Lypsyl can be purchased over-the-counter for treating fever blisters. In case the sores affect the interior of the mouth, teething gels can be used to sooth the pain from the blisters.

Curing cold sores can be quicker by hourly application on the affected part with used tea-bags that have been cooled inside the refrigerator. Geranium and tea tree oil cold sore remedies can also bring relief and shorten the duration of the infection. You can also use Vaseline to moisten the scabs that have formed as the sores heal. This will prevent cracking which delays healing.

Cold sores should not be a cause of anxiety since it is a common and often trivial condition. The medications that are given to treat cold sores prevent soreness and numb the affected skin.

Understanding the early symptoms of the disease can help avoid cold sores from developing into a full-blown condition. If you have tried once before how to treat cold sores, remember that it can be prevented from recurring with changes in lifestyle and diet.

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