YEP.

ice it
rub nail polish remover on it
abreva over that
go buy some lysine - take A LOT - 4-6 pills 2 xs a day

repeat.

concealer and powder to cover it while it heals. Will be gone in 3 days.

nail polish remover. no joke. hurts like hell, but actually helps A LOT.

One major preventive tip is to wear lip balm with SPF -- sunshine is a major trigger.

I use Abreva, which helps reduce the length of time it looks horrible, but not the actual horrible-ness of it . I apply it every two hours religiously.

I use a creamy concealer, then set it with powder.

Lysine helps as a preventive, IMO. I also take Benadryl and Advil to help reduce swelling. I think that works, but I don't know if there is any clinical evidence. Can't hurt, though.

Anonymous wrote:PP- If you had a cold sore, you have herpes. 3/4 of the population has it.


http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/coldsores.htm

This is right. Most people get it before they're adults (most likely from kissing their parents). However, for most people, the virus lies dormant, so they don't get cold sores even though they carry the virus (and therefore, technically, have herpes). That's why 3/4 of the population has it, but 3/4 of the population doesn't get cold sores (and consequently, most people don't think they have it).

And the PP who noted the distinction between genital (type 2) and "general" (type 1) is also right. It used to be a forgone conclusion that if you tested positive for type 2, it was genital, and type 1 meant it was only infected in your mouth area. However, you can get either type in either location on your body. Presumably, it's the increased prevalence of casual oral sex that's caused this.

The only way to test for herpes if there's no active outbreak is by a blood test, which isn't routinely done (and is generally not a part of the typical STD work-up). But it's not all the helpful, since if you test positive for either type, it doesn't really tell you much other than that you carry the virus, and possibly, you could get an outbreak somewhere on your body. But maybe you never will.

Courtesey The University of Google:

http://dentalresource.org/topic52herpes.htm


TRANSMISSION OF ORAL HERPES VIRUS TO CHILDREN:
Most people have been infected by oral herpes before they reach adulthood. The oral herpes virus has been detected in the blood and saliva of children who have an active herpes infection. Children contract oral herpes having by having infected saliva touch their oral soft tissue or skin wounds.

Transmission may occur by:
kissing an infected child or adult, eating with contaminated utensils, mouthing or playing with contaminated toys, using a contaminated toothbrush, and exposure to another child with who has an oral herpes infection. Many children contract oral herpes by sucking on contaminated toys that have been used by infected children. Day care is notorious for spreading the oral herpes virus.

PP- If you had a cold sore, you have herpes. 3/4 of the population has it.


http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/coldsores.htm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are all cold sores herpes?

yup. the virus takes over your mucus membranes once your immunity falls.

I've had cold sores since I was in elementary school, and I'm pretty certain that I didn't have herpes then. Can someone explain?

note that for a few decades now there's no difference between genital and "general" herpes.

you can have genital on your lips and "general" on your privates.

I actually take one 1000mg tablet of L-Lysine a day to prevent cold sores. I now only get them about once a year. Seems to depend on the weather and how stressed I am-stress has a lot to do with it. Once I feel the tingling coming on, I start mega doses of Lysine (an amino acid your body does not naturally produce) and start applying Abreva (ridiculously expensive for a tube the size of my little toe nail) which does seem speed up the healing process. Still once one begins to appear, it is probably going to be a good week and a half before it is gone completely. Cold sores are a type of herpes virus that lies dormant at the base of nerves near the lip until triggered by the above mentioned stressors. PS, I don't usually try to cover them up and only apply the Abreva-Neosporin seems to do nothing. I think you actually want them to dry up and Neosporin adds moisture.

Anonymous wrote:Are all cold sores herpes?

yup. the virus takes over your mucus membranes once your immunity falls.

I'm sorry. Go to the doctor and get a prescription for denavir. It helps a little. Abreva does nothing. Lysine and ice when you feel the tingle of it coming on.

Are all cold sores herpes?

Start a Mega-dose of L-lysine the minute you feel it coming on.

I just had a cold and now have a huge cold sore/fever blister on my lip. It looks really horrible. I use abreva and a little neosporin on the scab to help it heal faster. Any tips? Any make-up tricks to make it less horrible?