Recurrent Coldsores - taking over poor DDs face!

[inigomontoyahwillcox]

DD (13) suffers from recurrent coldsores which primarily affect the whole of her nose and around/under her nostril(s) and has done since she was a baby (I'd happily throttle whoever gave her the initial infection - I don't have it so unsure who it was). Aside from the pain and irritation, the poor thing looks so awful with them, red bulbous nose with multiple blisters covering it. When she was younger she took them a lot more in her stride, but now she's a teenager she is incredibly embarrassed and refuses to leave the house. They leave a red mark for some weeks as well. She's been bullied recently which doesn't help her confidence either so is very worried about how her peers will react.

She is on daily prophylactic oral Aciclovir which keeps them at bay until she gets a cold and the virus rears it's ugly head again, at which stage she has to take 5 tablets a day for 5 days. But they don't really seem to have an effect on the severity or length of the outbreak.

She is at her wits end, as am I.

Has anyone else had any experience of these - do they grow out of them or was there any treatment that really helped? I hate that she takes medication daily (the doctor tried to wean her off but she started getting them all the time again so back on them she went), for a start they can damage your kidneys long term. She's had her immune system checked and all looks fine, so no idea why she is so badly affected.

Are they certain it is the cold sore / herpes virus? Sounds unusually frequent and spread (on the nose rather than under it?). I'd be tempted to get a second opinion and an alternative approach.

@Rollercoaster1920

Are they certain it is the cold sore / herpes virus? Sounds unusually frequent and spread (on the nose rather than under it?). I'd be tempted to get a second opinion and an alternative approach.

Initially, and for a couple of years our HP at the time said it was impetigo and treated her for that - which made things worse. They do have the classic blistering, followed by weeping and yellow crustiness, so pretty sure they are caused by the herpes virus.

• GP

Have you tried giving her lysine? It's a protein & can help a lot. You would need to get some advice on what's an ok dose for kids though.

No I haven't @BlackSwan - I'll definitely look into it (and its safety/dosage). Thanks very much.

I get them regularly - linked with hormonal cycle as well as when I’m run down/ill. I was an absolute mess of them after giving birth for some months, on nose, around eyes etc. I’ve had some luck with the coldsore patches (don’t use cream as well) particularly if I get them covered up quickly when I first notice them. However, this works better in some places of the face than others, and can themselves be unsightly if they start to come off. It’s really shit and I sympathise with her hugely! Hope they calm down and she gets a bit of relief from some of the suggestions here.

As well as giving her a lysine supplement , have a read up about the lysine/ arginine balance. They work together, when one is high, the other is low. The prime suspects are nuts and chocolate, Nutella, etc, which are high in arginine. it will help to keep these things to minimum in her diet and her lysine levels will be naturally higher.

Another one suggesting Lysine

Huge sympathies as they are miserable. I have also had some success with Lysine so would second that suggestion. I've looked into dietaries before and now avoid chocolate, nuts and seeds when having an outbreak. You can buy light and heat therapy devices from Boots for not much money, might also be worth trying. If its any consolation mine are getting smaller and less frequent as I get older but as I'm 46 that might not be much comfort...

I also found L Lysine totally resolved my recurring cold sore problem.

Lysine! I believe it’s only anecdotal (it was when I looked years back), but it’s worked for me, DH, extended family and friends, so it’s worth a shot.

Another lysine convert

I put liquorice lip balm on my son every day. Apparently it’s been proved to help with cold sore prevention. So far he hasn’t had one since we’ve used it.

Thank you all, fortunately she hates chocolate (not to keen on nuts either) so they don't factor in her diet.

Am doing some reading about Lysine, there seems to be some negatives about kids taking a daily supplement ('In children, single amino acid supplements may cause growth problems.' Stanford Children's Health), but there seems to be some success with a lysine and zinc topical ointment when applied at the first sign of a coldsore - am thinking maybe if, as soon as she contracts a cold (which seems to be the catalyst), she applies it to the usually affected areas it could heed off outbreaks, or at least significantly reduce them.

Maybe I'll speak to a GP/Pharmacist about daily supplementation as so many of you have had such good results.

@FreeBritnee - are his coldsores on his lips? DD's are on her nose mainly, so would it still work so you think?

[quote inigomontoyahwillcox]@FreeBritnee - are his coldsores on his lips? DD's are on her nose mainly, so would it still work so you think?[/quote]
Normally cold sores start on the lips and spread elsewhere. So I can’t see the harm in trying!

Another lysine convert here. My DH used to get really disfiguring cold sores on his nose (often triggered by sunburn) and lysine really made a huge difference.

Lysine did nothing for me, but a 'Virulite' machine did. First sign of a tingle, use it to zap the area. It either stops it in its tracks, or makes the outbreak much more mild. Having spent so much money over the years on creams and remedies that did nothing, this one is worth the investment. www.healthcare4all.co.uk/virulite-cold-sore-machine

Also make sure she knows not to touch them, and to wash hands well, no sharing of towels etc. But I am sure you already know that.

She had my heartfelt sympathies. Cold sores are horrible, and I hope she finds something that works to calm them down.

What about getting lysine supplements as well and also taking them just at the first sign of a cold? So then it's not all the time but might help.

I've not used lysine myself but it might help with the risks you're concerned about here?

I get cold sores on my lips and nose when I get a cold or sun exposure when I've forgotten sun cream. For me smothering my nose and lips with elizabeth arden 8 hour miracle cream at night at the first sign of a cold can keep them at bay. It also seems to speed up the healing time.

As a young child I really suffered with constant cold sores. Apparently I was eating too many foods with vitamin C. My mum reduced my intake and that really helped. Apparently tomatoes and Ribena were the worst culprits.

@NotPersephone

Ha! I think I've used 8 hour cream for almost everything except cold sores! Will try that now :) Amazing stuff despite being developed for horses.

For horses?! Never knew that!

I've ordered some Lysine and zinc ointment and will apply liberally as and when she either feels the beginnings of one or gets a cold (which invariably triggers one). Will do some more research before giving her an oral lysine supplement, but definitely investigating it, and if not now, when she's older.