Seven Top Home Remedies for Cold Sores

Although they're not a serious condition in the majority of cases, it is undeniable that cold sores are unpleasant to endure. The soreness caused by the lesions as well as loss of confidence due to their location around the mouth mean that the many people who are infected have a miserable time for the 7 to 10 days that a typical attack lasts for. While there are some medicines available to help, these have proved to have limited efficacy and so many people resort to alternative treatments. While some of these are truly bizarre, here we look at some of the most popular home remedies for cold sores.

· The application of ice at the tingle stage can help reduce the time taken for cold sores to heal dramatically. Put the ice cubes in a bag and hold it against the lesion for up to half an hour, which reduces inflammation and seems to slow down the development of the virus as it replicates.

· Warm teabags held to the lesion help soreness and fight the virus.

· Cover the lesion with Vaseline to protect it and prevent secondary infections.

· Avoid the foods that are acidic or very salty such as citrus fruit and potato chips as they can both aggravate cold sores as well as being painful on the lesion and make sure you eat red meat and dairy products which are high in lysine.

· Because sun can cause cold sores, it is advisable to use a sunscreen, particularly a high protection cream designed specifically for the lips.

· Creams containing lysine, or based on lemon balm or tea tree oil help moisturize the infected area as well as provide a protective layer and fight the virus.

· Over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen can help relieve pain, as can topical anesthetics.

As you can see there are several option available. Although once infected with the cold sore virus we remain infected for life, the good news is that the virus lies dormant for most of the time. By choosing the right remedies we can limit the effect of the virus upon our lives and since home remedies for cold sores can be equally effective as medicines but without the cost or side effects, they remain an excellent option for many sufferers.

Did you find this article on cold sores useful? If so you might like to find out more about how to cure a cold sore at http://www.coldsoretreatmentguide.com/cold-sore-cure/how-to-cure-a-cold-sore.html