Cold Sores
 

I'm so friggin' ugly. I've had a cold sore every year since I was a kid so you think I'd be used to them by now. For the past few years I haven't been getting them, but just as I started to forget how bad they sucked, I got a nice reminder. What did I do to deserve this?

As if my self image isn't low enough already.

Does anyone have some tips to make it go away faster? If not, tips on how to accessorize a brown paper bag will do.

there's some chapstick type stuff you can get that's supposed to make them go away faster. i don't know anything about cover up for it though.

There's stuff called zovirax (aciclovir) you can use to treat it, but only if you catch it early enough each time it comes (they sell it with the slogan 'treat the tingle')
Otherwise try to work out what's causing it to come. The virus hides in your cells and only comes out when you're low on immunity etc - so try to keep yourself well rested/healthy etc...

Abbreva, is now a cold sore medicine, previous only available by prescription is now sold over the counter at drug stores. Also I put ice on my cold sores because it makes them feel better and if I catch the tingle feeling in time, it reduces thte severity of it. Just don't pick at it and remember cold sores are a virus so they usually last about 7-10 days.

Zovirax is prescription only in the US, so Abbreva is your only over the counter option if you're there. But as cliche said you've got to start with it at the first sign, when you first get that tingle.

It's permanaent, if you've had a cold sore once then you've got the virus, it lives in your nerves until it's got a chance to pop up agian.

If they are really bad, go to your doctor and try to get a prescription for either zovirax, of he could give you Valtrex or something similar.

Oh, and here's a tidbit a lot of people don't know. Avoid oral sex when you've got a cold sore, generally a different type of Herpes virus, but they both are herpes viruses and you can give someone genital herpes if you've got a cold sore.

I'm just now getting over a cold sore (knock on wood). IT SUCKS!!!!! My roommate had zovirax for me to use, but I think I got to it too late. Plus, I wasn't able to use it like you are supposed to (every three hours I think) because I look even worse with it on and I have to work all day. I think it still helped though, but it's hard to say.

I feel your pain.

check out my reply in this thread:

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...threadid=38762

I had horrible, horrible cold sores when I was a kid... now I can make them hardly visible in the first place, and disappearing within 1-2 days anyway ;)


meh, here's my reply anyway, to save the clicking ;)

wow i do the same thing kinda I might try the alcohol this is what i do to mine I use hydrogen peroxide I applie it with a Q-Tip as soon as i see a little slit you know the beging of a cold sore and then i do it like the whole day and/ or the next and by the next day or two its gone, the heat of the sun can cause it to come back faster like a tanning bed stay away from them too keep the facial area clean oh yea and ladys or men dont give head or give oral at all to some one when you have an active cold sore they could get genitial herpes and thats not fun at all, when it is cold out side dont lick your mouth or face that can make it happen too even though it might feel good to lick it you know it only makes it bigger

sorry for my ignorance, but what's a cold sore??

Basically a cold sore is the Herpes Virus, only on your lip. It lies dormant in certain nerve cells around your lip. Something triggers the virus (sunburned lips, weakened immune system, stress) and it travels down the nerve to the nerve ending.

When it exits the skin, usually around the lips, it causes a sore that looks really gross and iches and hurts. If you see somebody that looks like they have scabs around their lips, that's probably what it is. The sores usually go away in 8 to 12 days, but during that time it's very contagious. By touching it you can pass it to your eyes, or your nads, or even other people.

It makes you feel disgusting and repulsive, and you don't want anyone to look at you.

Anyway thanks to everyone for the great advice. Some of it was a little to late to help because I didn't catch it soon enough, but with the Abreva it definitely seems to be healing faster.

To bad today is my wifes' birthday and I can't even kiss her.

Even so, I look much better today than I would have without your help. Once again the TFP community has proven to me why it's such a cool place to hang.

You guys rock.

I've heard that taking he supplement called "L lysine" on a daily basis, like a vitamin, helps reduce the reocurrance of cold sores and cnker sores. it helps your immune system. It's very inexpensive and you acn get it at any drug store, wallgreens etc.

hmmm.. actually right now my left side up my upper lip is really itchy and it chaps really easier - it's not my whole lip either, just the part i said. It doesnt' look nasty or anything. It's chapped, itchy and i can feel it inflamed a bit.. is that a cold sore? i have had this for a while now.. goes away, comes back, goes away, comes back, etc..

Does it have a kind of "tinglely" feeling? If so, I guess it could be. Cold sores almost always break the skin in the same spot of you lip, and everyone is different. However, mine have always started on the left side of my upper lip. Coincidence......

In my opinion, as long as it doesn't look gross or bother you, I wouldn't worry about it. The only concern might be that if it is the Herpes Virus (cold sore), then there might be a possiblity of passing it to others, or other body parts. So be very careful, and if you're in doubt, you might want to talk to a doctor, they could tell you for sure and could tell you how to prevent spreading the virus.

If that is a cold sore, you are definitely one of the lucky ones. For the rest of us, I think the key to getting rid of them is hitting them with everything available, at the first little hint of tingling. And for God's sake don't touch it. I have a horrible problem picking scabs, so when my cold sores scab up it's so hard not to pick. You must resist the urge.

And the next person that stares at the strange growth on my lip is going to get this...

"I AM NOT AN ANIMAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!"

I never suffered from this issue but, in my business travel I get to read through the Skymail catalog about 50 times. In looking through I saw this (go to the link below & TYPE "SORE" as the keyword in the search field) dont know if it works or not but I figured I would try & help.

http://www.skymall.com/webapp/skysto...odSrch&action=

http://images.skymall.com/images/pro...102105981x.jpg

a cold sore will be little bubbles on the skin, close together at 1 point on the lip. That just sounds like chapped lips. Consider yourself lucky.

Cold sores - common term, and have many etiologies. The one of most interest though is probably herpetic cold sores. Unfortunately, this viral caused outbreak plagues many. As much as 65% of people are probably sero-positive for the virus, but luckily most don't ever manifest the symptoms. Unfortunately, no one quite knows what triggers outbreaks. However, stress is probably one of the more common associations. As you may have noticed from commercials, there's no treatment for herpes, but you can certainly take medications to suppress outbreaks. I would suggest paying a visit to your physician, asking for a tsank smear of the ulcers. If positive, consider starting on acyclovir, or valacylovir for treatment and prophylaxis.