To ask for your help with this cold sore

[shouldbesleepingnotscrolling]

I have a really bad cold sore brewing, I woke up this morning with a swollen lump on the edge of my lip and the painful tingling. Ive bought some cream but if anything it just feels worse tonight.
Ive only had a couple before and theyve never been so sore before its even ‘erupted’!
Ive got work tomorrow and Im dreading what its going to look like, does anyone have any help with what can make it heal quicker or be less painful?
Ive googled it and there seems to be ‘stages’ it goes through, am I supposed to keep applying the cream all day?! Dont want to make it worse than it already is.

I have nothing to add to the practical stuff but consider the whole picture. An outbreak can be an indicator that the body is run down and needs some TLC. Sometimes they can’t be helped because they have been triggered by other minor or major physical illnesses but it’s a prompt to take a little extra care of yourself if you can. Advice I was given was to act as you would with any viral illness with rest, hydration and as healthy a diet as you can manage.

And if stress is something you need to and can reduce, that’s as important as the physical stuff.

Thanks for all the advice, yes I think stress is definitely a factor as Ive been juggling a lot recently and not getting enough sleep.
Do people find sunlight a triggering factor too?

Ive had cold sores before where they seem to swell but go down and dont blister, not sure if I did anything different or my body was able to fight it off quicker but I was hoping I could encourage it to do that somehow, some great tips here.

Anyway, just got to work, wearing extra eye make in the vain attempt to distract from my massive lip!

Yes pumpkinpatch HERPES. Not plague, not syphilis, not even Covid, just HERPES. A virus I share with 90% of the population. If I should be ashamed of that perhaps you'd be good enough to explain why. Hope you're feeling better OP, herpes is a bugger and can make you feel vile.

Yes sunlight often triggers mine. Factor 50 lip balm sometimes helps

i get cold sores so badly and no cream or compeed plasters work for me ( I don’t know why that is but both my GP and my regular pharmacist say that they just don’t work for some people). I get them triggered by sunshine but more commonly by stress. My GP prescribes Oral Aciclovar for me I have had to have six months courses before now to break the cycle when I get them one outbreak after another. I’ve had them twice this year already ( bit of stressful time) and because it was difficult to get a GP appointment I ordered them online from Superdrug who offer an online GP prescribing process, you just have to answer a number of questions and pay ( it’s worth it for less hassle even though my prescriptions are free). If I get another outbreak any time soon I’ll go back to my GP and ask for the longer course again.

Don't necessarily recommend this, but you can go to the superdrug website, say you have genital herpes (I know) and buy a packet of aciclovir pills. I don't have genital herpes but I was prescribed the pills when I had shingles (nice post-Covid experience in 2020). I used to get annoying cold sores about twice a year. Nothing really worked. Now I take a couple of the pills (bought more from Superdrug, having got first lot from GP) and they vanish.

Ice it!! Helps with the burning tingling sensation, reduces redness and speeds up the healing process. The times I forget to put an ice cube against mine is the times they take an age to heal. I had a coldsore a few weeks ago. Constantly iced it. It Tingled, blistered, scabbed and healed all within a few days I did also apply vinegar and alcohol hand gel too. I was also constantly sucking on ice lollies to help with the sore throat from Covid so I'm guessing that would've helped too

Herpotherm hot stick thing is very good . It kind of burns the sore to kill the virus . Aclivor is the tablet which are very effective

Compeed patches, they are really good. Own brand zovirax is as good as zovirax but I tried the boots cold sore patches once and they were awful, compeed all the way for those.

Second getting aciclovir tablets (got my last lot from Superdrug online, based on recurrent cold sores and having genuinely been prescribed it before by my GP, but Superdrug being quicker than the faff to get another prescription) Ice cube in a sandwich bag helps with the itch/burn/tingle, and compeed patches do work for me fortunately.

@hopsalong that wasn’t my experience with Superdrug at all I just put that I have cold sores no need to say genital herpes ( although I wouldn’t say that is anything to be ashamed of) and I last ordered them from Superdrug just last month. Also I don’t want to disagree with your experience but should OP decide to go down this route she should complete the prescribed course not just take a couple of the tablets.

Liquorice balm works and is also a good preventative as a lip balm.

Aciclovir never works for me but Lysine has stopped them in their tracks.

A cold used teabag also seems to help - weirdly.

This. L-lysine tablets. Take one a day to build up the missing enzyme. I should take them every day but can't be bothered. So as soon as one starts I take 2 tablets then one every day till it's gone. Lysine cream was awesome for me but I can't get hold of it anymore. So then Zovirax at the tingle stage. If it blisters I apply tea tree oil with a cotton bud every hour or 2. Zovirax at night. Then one it's a proper scab I add Vaseline at night so it's smothered. It softens the scab so you can scrape some off each day after a shower. Keep doing tea tree oil every day till it's gone. Be careful and gentle as you can make it bleed. Fastest healing time is 3 days, average 5 and sometimes 7. I sometimes take ibuprofen if the swelling is bad, they are the worst. Wish I could take anti virals to stop them completely.

Sadly I am also an expert in this area.
I take lysine when I feel one starting to develop.
If it is a big burning area, ice it as often as you can for as long as you can.
The oral medication works to speed up the healing if you can get a prescription for them.
I also use lysine lip balm that Holland and Barrett used to sell. Anyone know why they stopped selling this?
At the moment I have an area on my nose, which has stopped in its tracks because I started on the oral medication asap. definitely triggered by sun and wind on holiday. Hope it clears up quickly.

Famciclovir is the medication in Australia - it’s over the counter on request from the pharmacist, it’s only one dose and it does work if taken quickly.

I always keep some on hand, take it then pop a compeed patch on the area and most of the time it doesn’t get to puffy pussy sore stage.

Yes I have this problem. I Don’t bother them anymore.
there is very little you can do to speed up the healing IME.
The only thing you can do is dab Zovirax on with a cotton bud when they are in the early stages. However it’s never stopped me from developing one completely.

Thank you for all the advice, I thought Id get an early night in the hope it might help and Ive actually woken up with a secondary lump on the inner part of my lip. As if the first massive one wasnt bad enough 😩
Is it normal to have more than one cold sore at a time?

Yes, i often get one sore after another developing. I would try to get the medication from the Dr. If not lysine and take a larger dose than recommended.

Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream gets rid of mine

Yes, especially if you have never had them before. The virus that causes them can make you ill the first time you catch it and you can end up with many cold sores.
When my kids first got them they were 4 and 5. The 4 year old ended up with 6 cold sores and the 5 year old hospitalised as they were all in his mouth and on his tongue.

Ask your gp for some acilovoir tablets.

Bio propolis.
I tell literally everyone about this I've never known anything like it in my life! It stops it at whatever stage it's at and just gets rid of it.
I would never use anything else it's a pure lifesaver

I am a life long sufferer.
I used to use the generic Zovirax cream but read on …..

I had 14 cold sores, on after the other, when I was stressed about 8 years ago! My daughter was getting married & there was lots to arrange plus my husband was very unwell. (Since passed away.)

GP prescribed systemic Aciclovar but I didn’t find it much help.

What helps me now, believe it or not, is a daily zinc tablet. Available from Holland & Barrett.

I haven’t had a cold sore for years because I believe the zinc supports my immune system.

Further evidence of this I believe, is that my Covid was a mild dose. It wasn’t pleasant but better than some folks who’ve really suffered. I swear by ZINC but you have to take it year round.

Sunlight (aka ultraviolet light) will also bring them on.

Eat well, (not rubbish processed food), get plenty of rest if you can & take zinc!

I hope you’ll feel better soon. The virus can be very debilitating.