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.

@Gaveitall My son was under a dermatologist and he used to get awful cracks in his lips and they would bleed. She swore by zinc too for sores on the mouth.

L-lysene was a game changer for me. I still get the odd cold sore, but they are not nearly as painful as before and don't last as long as they used to.

I strongly recommend the tablets in future. I always have some in the house just in case.

Take L-lysine. Flipping brilliant stuff.

Bio propolis. If I could scream this at anyone with a cold sore I would, I'm that passionate about how effective it is!
I had one starting yesterday, lumped up and sore. I've put some bio propolis on it 3x a day since and it's now no where to be seen! It's the closest I think you can get to a miracle.

Take a zinc supplement all year round.
It will either stop them altogether or they won’t develop.
My friend & I are lifetimr sufferers, works for us.

Absolutely lysine tablets, I'm surprised so few have mentioned them, you can take a lot like 2 1000mg per day, a pharmacist told me it doesn't build up in the body. Also boots cream is the same as brand name in my opinion, but haven't used much as lysine always does the trick. Unfortunately lowering stress helps, but easier said than done

Tbh I whack a load of of sudocrem on it no scientific basis for that just makes me feel better

I'm sure her cold sore has gone now, she posted in April!

Cripes I hope so

I read there are two ways to treat wet & dry. Wet is the cream and patches. Did this got years hated it was always soggy.
Now I dab with eat tea tree oil as often as I can to dry it out. Also take L-lysine tablets. Usually one a day if I feel I might get one or do get one I up to 3 a day
Works much better for me. But it's hideous and just takes time.
I do t seem to get them like I did so really think it's the L-lysine.

Comped are good, depending on where the cold sore is. I found Zovirax worked but then the cold sore pops up again a week or so later somewhere else! My go to is blistex/blisteze which clears them quickly and less painfully once they are fully out. Good luck