A Look at Cold Sore Treatments

Cold sores usually disappear without any type of medication in
about a week to ten days. Many people choose to wait out their
cold sores, just ignoring them until they go away. Others decide
that ten days is too long to have a large, painful, embarrassing
facial blemish near their mouth and seek out medicine or other
treatments to make the cold sore easier to deal with. There are
many different types of cold sore treatment available, from
antiviral pills to over the counter and prescription creams.
Many people also use conventional pain relievers like aspirin
and acetaminophen as cold sore treatment.

People suffering their first cold sore outbreak are often
recommended to take antiviral medications. These pills are only
obtainable by prescription, so the cold sore sufferer must
consult a doctor first. Cold sore medication such as acyclovir
or famciclovir can provide pain relief and reduce the healing
time of a cold sore. Antiviral medication is most effective if
people start taking it when the cold sore first appears.

There are several types of creams used to treat cold sores.
Creams containing docosanol are particularly useful. Docosanol
is used to fight against the HSV-1 virus that causes cold sores
and it can relive pain as well as help heal the cold sore
sooner. Other types of cold sore treatment include creams
designed to numb the area around the cold sore and moisturizer
creams that help revitalize the skin around the cold sore. Lip
balm can prevent the cold sore from cracking open. 

Many conventional pain relief medicines like acetaminophen,
aspirin, and ibuprofen are great cold sore treatments. These
medicines treat the inflammation, providing pain relief. While
there is no cure for cold sores, there are several types of cold
sore treatment that make having a cold sore a shorter, more
bearable experience.