Natural Skin Care

Cold sores are caused by a common virus that resides in your nerve cells. Most of the time this opportunistic virus, called herpes simplex virus type 1 or HSV-1, lies inactive, waiting for just the right conditions to occur. Triggered by factors such as colds or infection, anxiety, stress, sunlight or wind exposure, the virus is activated and makes its way to your mouth and nasal passages where it forms an unsightly and painful eruption called a cold sore, or fever blister. It is impossible to avoid exposure to the HSV-1 virus, and there is no cure that will eliminate it from your body, but there are effective cold sore treatments and ways to reduce the occurrence of the it.

Effective cold sore treatment starts with prevention. If your body offers cold sores the right conditions they will rapidly gain a foothold and grow. Infections, fever and the common cold all create that opportunity, as do stress, trauma, fatigue and immune system deficiency. Other triggers that you might not be as aware of include exposure to flies, UV rays, food allergies and menstrual cycles. Naturally, you can’t control or avoid all of these factors, but treating underlying conditions quickly and effectively when they do occur will help eliminate the friendly environment that feeds cold sores and allows them to thrive. You can stay free of eruptions by keeping your body in a healthy state that starves out cold sores before they can occur.

Some of the best and effective treatment for cold sores will decrease discomfort, improve healing process, prevent reoccurrence and prevent spreading of cold virus to other people.

You reduce salt in your food and avoid acidic foods. For instance, potato chips and oranges cause inflammation and more hurt to the cold sore. Common painkillers like aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen help you calm down your pain. An application of petroleum jelly over the cold sore has an assuaging effect on the dry and tickling cold sore apart from expediting the recovery process.

When you buy licorice, make sure you read the label so that you will know if you are buying the real stuff. Licorice is supposed to help herpes because one of its ingredients is glycyrrhizin acid, a chemical known to inhibit herpes virus and thus stop it from spreading further. Olive leaf extracts contain an antibiotic, which is very effective in reliving pain and discomfort. To treat a cold sore, dip a ball of cotton in milk and apply this to the cold sore. You will find it very soothing. And if you start this treatment as soon as the cold sore started, the sore will heal very rapidly. Garlic has strong antiviral properties and garlic capsules taken regularly every day will reduce the pain and discomfort of the cold sore. If you cannot get garlic capsules, just cut a clove of garlic and place it directly on the sore. You will find that this helps to heal the sore effectively.

A cold sore can be really difficult to deal with especially since there is a virus involved and it can spread rapidly if not stopped. It’s even been advised that after a cold sore one must change his or her toothbrush because the one used while having a cold sore may have been contaminated already. Being exposed to too much sun and windy weather may cause cold sore so it’s best to always protect your mouth and nose, be it a scarf or sun block when outside. Stress is also known to hasten the development of cold sore, so avoid being too stressed and find ways or practice some exercises, which can relieve you of stress. Try also to increase your immunity system with zinc lozenges for zinc does exactly that.

A way to not transfer sores that pop up on your lip, also called cold sores is by not kissing them when you have one. You also should not share any personal items including kitchen utensils, cups, markup, etc if you have a cold sore or with anyone you know that has one. Another good practice is good sanitation, meaning wash your hands often throughout the day and especially after using the bathroom, and be sure and use soap and water. Carrying hand sanitizer is a good way to wash if you are not near soap and water.

Technorati Tags: beauty, cold sore treatment, cold sores, remedies, Skin Care

Tags: beauty, cold sore treatment, cold sores, remedies, Skin Care

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