Is there any way to speed up the suppurating wet branflake phase? Enormous cold sore.

[sprigatito]

It's got to be some sort of record breaker, it's huge. Upper lip, spreading onto the philtrum so very noticeable and unsightly. It's gone through the angry-red-cauliflower phase and entered the slimy-wet-branflake stage. Hurts like buggery. I'm plastering it with Zovirax, but it's too late for it to have much effect really. Any magical folk remedies? I will try literally anything!

Aftershave dabbed on as often as you can.

Those little sticky patches can be good, unless it's too big?

Aftershave sounds like it would be screamingly painful!

The cold sore plasters are really effective to ease the pain.

Aftershave does sound excruciating! I am desperate enough to try it though. I think it's too humongous for the cold sore plasters I think.

Two rules for me - never touch it and slather it with Vaseline from a cotton bud. I find this helps the healing as it doesn't go crusty and keep splitting

It's not that bad at all, but it speeds up the drying time massively, I've been doing this for 50 years !!

I really don’t think anything I’ve ever bought has helped speed up healing, sorry @sprigatito. I have recently had one like this, it was bloody awful. The only thing that made it slightly less disturbing was wearing a mask, I really couldn’t bear for anyone to see it. The only good leftover from Covid. I feel your pain.

Yes there is.
Use tea tree or preferably lemon essential oil.
Use as soon as the bugger starts tingling and it stops it in its tracks.
It will help a lot even at the late throbbing cauliflower stage, but will hurt like heck for a few seconds (remember to breathe).
I used to have 3 or 4 a year and I almost never have them since starting using essential oil, not quite sure what happened there but I'm happy.
Keep away from children - both the sodding sore and the essential oil.
And always stay away from the sun when you have a cold sore.

DF swore by dabbing with a cotton bud dipped in witch hazel to dry it out. Do not touch it with your fingers or you could transfer the virus to somewhere less pleasant :(

I know this won't help you NOW, but maybe in the future.

For some INSANE reason we can't buy Aciclovir tablets OTC, yet the rest of the world pretty much can. When you go abroad, particularly the far east as thats the cheapest, go into every pharmacy and say you want those tablets and point at your lip and say you can feel it coming.

I recently felt one coming, took 2 tablets 4 times a day and it never arrived in the end!

I even get my friends to get them for me when they are abroad too.

Don't, unless you want it to get infected.

I'd stick a bit of Savlon on it - they can get a bit infected in addition to the virus and it always helps mine. Oh and rinse it a few times a day with salty water.

Neat essential oils aren't safe to use on your skin!

Got any bicarbonate of soda? Baking powder if not. Dab it on the wetness it will reduce the inflammation, stop it itching/hurting so much and dry it- up.

Bicarb won't sting. Dab it on.

L-lysine every day.

Up to you. A drop didn't do me any arm, in the contrary.

Aloe Vera is good before and during (in combination with zovirax before).

Not a quick fix but in addition to other treatments, get some zinc supplements. They help with healing. A good multivitamin would cover the zinc and probaably help boost your immune system.

I do have bicarb, so I'm gonna try that one first...if it dries it out a bit I'll be delighted. Why do they have to look so disgusting 🤮

May not be a popular or even sensible option but putting talcum powder or face powder on it when possible dries it out fast.

Try get aciclovir tablets prescribed for future, and taking daily lysine supplements will reduce severity and frequency.
For now, just no touching it, keep up with regular zovirax

Definitely NOT tea tree oil. Someone told me to use some on DD's chicken pox spots and I think I scarred her for life!

Used tea bag.

Gengigel gel is the only thing that soothes mine even at blister stage. It dries as a film and the only problem is that it’s blue, but oh so soothing. Then a really oily ointment for the healing stage.

Zinc and caster oil cream ended my childhood cold sores nightmare. I was called "Three Lips" for months before my mum found this stuff ☹