Please give me your cold sore blitzing tips

[PreseaCombatir]

I had a massive cold sore come up on Thursday, that’s when the tingles started. Didn’t get anything on it on it in time, it’s now huge. I have to be somewhere on Thursday, is there any hope it will be gone? Please share any tips for getting rid of it! Sob

Yes should be gone, just keep staff cling a treatment on it....

L-lysine. It is the absolute miracle cure for coldsores. I was plagued with them my whole life but I take a supplement of it every day and haven’t had one in 8 years. There are also lipbalms and ointments of it which you can get places like amazon and Holland & Barrett’s.
The compeed coldsore plasters are quite good too.

zovirax rarely works tbh even when you do 'treat the tingle'

There's very little you can do. Huge horse sized antivirals (tablet form aciclovir) from the doctor reduce it from 2 weeks down to 10 days for me.

Compeed patches definitely reduce the pain and length of time they last.

Probably not much you can do and likely to be still hanging around next Thursday - it's more like 10-14 days to clear, isn't it?

The only thing I've found that is helpful planning ahead for events is to protect it massively in the early days so the blisters don't pop, ie compeed patches, Vaseline over it at night, whatever you can do to keep it moisturised and soft rather than allowing a scab to form. This at least gives the blisters the chance to shrink naturally without becoming an open sore so that you can cover it with make up.

I used to try really hard to dry them out but then they break and you get a scab that cracks when you smile and you get the Dracula blood dripping down your chin.

I do feel for you, OP. Horrible things. Try to boost your own energy and general immune health this week (vitamins, water, sleep, exercise etc) as the big ones make you feel rotten.

I think the zappy light thing works wonders.

Thanks! I’m just going to try and keep it super moisturised and see if that helps.
What is the zappy light thing? Lol

as the big ones make you feel rotten.

They do. I tend to get them when I’m run down, and then they come along and make gouges even worse!

Second the compeed blister patches, helped reduce a huge one of mine I had end of last year and just having the patch over it made me feel better.

I've never had one but I know someone who is prone to them and swears by Anusol.....

Not much help for this one but the antiviral tablets do really help. I get through Superdrug online doctor so I always have some in the house. And fresh aloe Vera really helps with the healing and reducing the redness. Break a stem off the plant. Slap that on every hour. Honestly amazing

I use ice on mine. Wrap a piece of ice in kitchen roll or a handkerchief and hold it on the sore for as long as possible, do this as often as you can. It takes the swelling down, eases the pain and I swear it shortens the time you have it.

Zovirax - Acyclovir.

Nothing else touches the sores.

I second L-lysine. You can order them off amazon and they’re a god send. I used to get cold sores when ever I was run down or hormonal, but one tablet will stop any tingle by the next day

I find Zovirax works if you can get it right at the first tingle, if not it’s too late. Otherwise I use the compeed patches once they are up, they reduce the pain and help it heal up. I find they start to go down in a few days. I’ve had oral acyclovir a couple of times but I prefer just using the patches these days

I usually use the compeed plasters as they cover pretty well, but don't seem to reduce the length of time for me. I r

ecently tried the bonjela cold sore cream and it worked really quickly. I usually have them around 10 days and with the bonjela it was gone in about 5.

It’s the herpes virus so needs specific treatment, if it’s an issue often I’d ask the doctor for antiviral medication. Cold sores can be absolutely miserable, I feel so self conscious when I have them plus they’re painful.

I’ve never used the patches.
I used to get them very often, I don’t get as often now, but still too many for my liking!!
To be honest what I usually do is get a Q-tip and put hot salt water on the blisters. Really stings, but feels quite good, like it’s cleansing the poison if that makes any sense!!
This really dries it out, but then gets scabby, and is prone to crack and bleed like someone mentioned above (Dracula smile!)
I’m usually not too bothered, but as I’m going out on Thursday I’m trying to avoid this, it’s not a good look!
In terms of the plasters/patches, I’ve never really used them before.
Can you put make up, eg concealer and lipstick over them? Or would it be really obvious and noticeable?

‘Virulite’ is the light-frequency cold sore zapper. It’s an invisible spectrum of light that helps your body fight the virus before it makes a cold sore. It is medically proven.

I was deeply sceptical, but a complete convert now. Yes, it’s expensive, but worth it to avoid the misery of scabby painful horrible cold sores. (I used to get them often).

I use it twice a day when I feel the tingle - or even first stage of blister - and 90% of the time it knocks it on the head.

If that doesn’t help, then lavender essential oil, neat, on a cotton bud soothes and heals.

If all else fails - good concealer!

Ice it as much as you can. And bonjela. Loads of bonjela.

I take Lysine tablets, the double strength ones. And I take 2 three times a day!

I find the OTC ointments to be much of a muchness.

Have suffered with cold sores for over30yrs.

The one thing that works for me is Lipzor. ( think that’s how it’s spelt) fantastic little machine

Boots stopped selling the zapper, which was the one thing that helped.
Why they did it, I'll never know.

I found the patches to be ineffectve for me.

Ice is great! Keeps the swelling down.

I've heard others use Tea Tree Oil, but haven't tried it myself yet.

Good luck, they are truly horrendous.

I agree with the zapper. Maybe it’s placebo but it works for me and DH and a friend who got it on my tentative recommendation. I got mine on amazon (on prime day or Black Friday or something) so it was £50 instead of £100.