How to Prevent Cold Sores

Cold sores can appear as a single blister or in a cluster, mostly around the conspicuous parts of the body, giving a tingling or itching sensation and is painful at times. They infect the skin's epidermis layer, resulting in fluid-filled red blisters. Nose, mouth, lips, cheeks, eyelids and fingers are the commonly infected areas. According to certain researches, 50-80% of the world population carries the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1), but surprisingly, a few of them experience the outbreak of the virus, which results in cold sores. Now let us take a look at certain important steps, to know how to prevent cold sores and shorten their life span.

Stress, sleep disorders, menstruation, exposure to ultra-violet rays of the sunlight, dry or injured lips, tooth extraction, digestive disorders, common cold, flu, etc., are some of the reasons that may trigger the virus, which otherwise may remain dormant for years. Medical science has not been able to come up with any solid cure for cold sores. Once the virus has infected the person, there is no way to eliminate it. However, if proper preventive steps against the symptoms are followed regularly, occurrence of cold sores can be inhibited and the frequency of the outbreaks can also be curbed. The following are the measures that can help in cold sore prevention.

Inculcate proper hygiene habits. As the HSV-1 is highly contagious, it is wise not to come in contact with infected body fluids, or the infected person and avoid sharing the same items, like clothes, utensils, etc. Always keep yourself clean, especially your hands. Touching your mouth or face is frequent, so antibacterial hand-wash should always be used. The people who are already infected should also follow these hygienic procedures. Keeping your hands clean will prevent spreading of the sore to your other body parts.

Get plenty of sleep, at least for eight hours a day. Develop stress relief exercises, like yoga, meditation, etc. Proper sleep and relaxation, helps reduce fatigue and calming your body's system, which ultimately limits the chances of cold sore outbreaks.

As mentioned earlier, dry chapped lips are also one of the causes of cold sores. So, keeping your lips and skin well moisturized, would make you less vulnerable to the infection. If your daily work includes a lot of exposure to the sun, then keep your skin safe from the sunlight (specifically UV rays), by using sunblock creams or ointments.

A nutritious and healthy diet helps to strengthen and improve your body's immune system and to resist infection by the HSV-1. Including high quantity of lysine (an essential amino acid) in your diet, limits herpes replication or reproduction. According to scientists, higher percentage of lysine content in the diet, curbs the availability of cells required for the replication. Food products with high lysine content are beef, fish, chicken, milk, cheese, yogurt, and eggs. Fruits such as apples, pears, mangoes, apricots and summer squash, also contain immense quantity of lysine. Medicines which contain lysine are also useful in preventing any cold sore outbreaks.

Cold sores may appear during times like outings, vacations, traveling, etc. A weak and ailing person is the perfect breeding ground for the herpes virus. The outbreaks of the sores, vary from person to person. Some might have frequent outbreaks, while for others, it may be very rare. As mentioned earlier, after the virus has attacked the immune system , it may remain dormant for a considerable period of time and then suddenly become active, when trigerred by stress and other disorders. The doctors may prescribe certain antiviral medications, which can help in a speedy recovery from the cold sores.

Treatment at an early stage of the sore, prevents things from getting worse. A healthy lifestyle and surrounding can prevent the virus from spreading further in the infected person and to others as well. Cold sores may be very frustrating and disheartening at times. Tackle them with correct preventive measures and with a positive attitude. To curtail the effect of the virus before hand, consult a doctor, who can help and guide you on how to prevent cold sores at an early stage.