DD7 cold sores

[BellesAndGraces]

I think IABU but struggling to change how I feel. When DD7 was a newborn, my then very close friend kissed her goodbye on the face. She was the only adult to ever kiss her face and this friend gets horrendous cold sores. She doesn’t seem to have good hygiene around them as I remember her once asking to share my drink when she had one. At the time, I remember going into a full blown panic when she left - i even wiped a bit of hand sanitiser on DD’s face which I know was mental. 7 years later and I think DD is getting cold sores. Third sore “spot” in the same place on her lip this year and she’s telling me it hurts. I know lots of people carry the HPV virus without knowing but the only person either DH or I know who gets cold sores is my friend so I can’t help blaming her. Who kisses a newborn on the face when they get cold sores FFS??? My poor DD.

Grateful for any tips on how to nip the cold sores in the bud for DD so she doesn’t have to suffer.

My 11 DS suffers quite badly. Only thing for him that really works is religiously applying spf lip balm every night and every morning. When it’s really cold or hot, he needs to use it in the day too but he doesn’t willingly.

Its the HSV virus that carries cold sores - 2/3 of the population are carriers I believe so it could be your friend but it could also be you or any one else, a lot of people don't have symptoms...

I'm sorry though it's rubbish 😔

Can you post a photo?

Did your friend have an active cold sore when she kissed your daughter? I get cold sores but neither of my boys do. I kiss them all the time - but never, ever with a cold sore.

Huge amounts of people get cold sores and carry the virus in dormant mode. It’s triggered by heat and chocolate and nuts. Deterred by lysine supplementation. You can buy lysine lip balm and use daily.

Might well be cold sores but she could have picked them up from lots of places in the seven years since this happened. Lots of people don’t realise how contagious they are, and young children aren’t always very good with hygiene, rigorous hand washing after touching them, not sharing towels and cups etc.
Acyclovir (cream and tablets) is my go-to and makes a huge difference, I’m not sure how doctors are about prescribing it to children. I’d try to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatment. Mine are triggered by anything that messes with my lips (I once got a horrendous one after somebody tried to remove a blackhead there) and by sun/wind/cold/drying out so I agree with a pp about using spf lip balm.

Thanks everyone. I’ve just popped to Boots and got her some aclivor, there was nothing else suitable for under 12s. The pharmacist was very reluctant to say whether or not it was a cold sore though, any thoughts based on this photo?

Lifelong cold sore sufferer here. Was prescribed zinc tablets for something else. Not had a cold sore since. Likewise for adult sibling who also gets them. Several years now, Worth a try, if safe for a child to take.

Do you mind me asking what the dosage is?
I’ve also heard lysine is a good preventative

From the photo, I am not convinced it is a cold sore. How long has she had it? They tend to grow fairly quickly and get bumpy and crusty. Unless this is it just starting to appear?

One thing that has helped for me is lip balm with licorice extract every night. Not just flavour, must have the genuine plant ingredient. I also take L lysine tablets when I get one, but they are massive, so not sure a 7 year old could swallow one. But if I don't apply acyclovir the second I feel it, I will have a big sore for at least a week.

I get cold sores occasionally and just dab them with surgical spirit on the end of a Q tip. Smells disgusting, but it works.

hand foot and mouth maybe?

My sympathies - I contracted them from my gran when I was around your daughter’s age. What a selfish woman your friend (and my gran) is. Having said that the first outbreak I had was within a week of my grannies kiss. And I remember it - so painful, kept swelling, burning and then the blisters came up and popped and where the popped blister dripped onto my bottom lip I also had them there.

Because I hit puberty when I was ten I was getting them monthly pretty much until I reached my later thirties and hit peri.

I’ve never gone near anyone when I’ve had an active outbreak including my own child. He doesn’t get them. I’m scrupulous about constantly washing hands and keeping the sores covered with lots of patches. My GP refused Zovirax tablets when I had a particularly bad outbreak with them covering half my top lip and part of the bottom. He told me to just accept it.

UV rays set them off, so do hormones, and lack of sleep. Or being generally run down.

Id say you will be able to see in the next few days if the bump on her bottom lip starts to form into lots of little blisters and starts to burst and crust up.

I’ve had cold sores for as long as I can remember. It took years to realise using a good spf cream every day whatever the weather or season means they are really rare now

My mother, father and sister all suffered from cold sores and I, er, attended a good few rodeos in my younger years: in spite of this, I've never had a cold sore.

I don't know if this is because I'm immune or if I'm an asymptomatic carrier (my OH of 22 years has never had one either). I'll never really know.

Essentially, your daughter could have contracted the virus from any one of a multitude of contact points over the years and I don't think it's fair to blame your friend.

My dad gave it to me. I get them when im stressed or run down. Using 100% organic vanilla extract as soon as I feel one seems to stop it getting bigger.

Zovirax cold sore cream is excellent.

As soon as she feels it starting under the skin, put it on, and it stops it in its tracks.

I occasionally get cold sores, I find that if I can catch them at the tingle stage and put lysine cream on it and pop a few lysine tablets it goes away by the next day. I also continue the tablets for a few more days..

The “spot” had disappeared by the next day so I’m now not sure it was a cold sore. Pharmacist seemed to think it was as she’s had the same spot in the same place 3 times this year but I’m not so sure as it didn’t blister and went away after about 24 hours!

Doesn't look like a cold sore and unless your friend had an active colde sore she wouldn't have passed it on.

Lysene is amazing, dh doesn't get them at all now.

@BellesAndGraces

Do you have general health anxieties OP? Or is this the only one.
Your friend did not pass a cold sore to your baby 7 years ago - it’d have been really obvious back then if your child got it.

As a large % of population has them the question - ‘Who kisses babies knowing they get cold sores?’ - is strange.
People who live with them and have kids.

Obviously not while they have an active sore.

I get mine about once a year. Didn’t pass it on to my kids - who I obviously kissed. Or any of my partners.

Also - as to impact on my life - it’s less than minor.

BTW - this does bot look like a cold sore anyway

Where do you get it from? I used to use this in SA, but live in the UK now and cannot get it any more

I think it's called rubbing alcohol now,it's on Amazon.

Our local chemist sells it, but I had to ask as it wasn't out on the shelf.