Dreaded coldsore - any tips on how to help scab phase heal?

[navyeyelasH]

I always suffer with coldsores and my main trigger is the sun or getting chapped lips. I can prevent them in winter my making sure my lips don't get chapped but it's so hard in the summer as nothing seems to prevent them!

Anyway, I have figured out the best technique to get them to scab over for me (salt and tea tree oil every hour and fenistil every 2 hours). This cold sore is massive and covers nearly half of my bottom lip I could count well over 20 blisters! But I could feel it was gong to go all over my lip so I' just glad is crusted over so soon.

But now it's mega crusty and still really itchy - any ideas on what to do to stop the itch and speed up the healing process, my last one left quite a bad scar to want to avoid that.

Any advice much appreciated!

bump!

Anyone?!?! It's cracked twice since I started this and I'm in agony! Tempted to put Vaseline on it but don't want to risk spreading it.

No help re scab I'm afraid, but try taking zinc and vitamin c to aid healing. You can buy lip balm with sunscreen added which may help in Summer.

You could also try taking L-lyseine daily to keep them at bay.

I feel your pain, I've been there more then once!

Propolis is another good one, you can buy bio-propolis on the net or a health food shop that will stop the cracking.

It sounds like they are quite bad. I would go to your gp and ask for aciclover(sp) tablets. I used this days before my wedding and it cleared it up very quickly

A friend of mine swears by used teabags on it.

i use compeed patches and have found they work quite well for mine. seem to stop them from getting so big and heal quicker, but it does make a difference by getting a patch on as soon as it tingles so it may be too late but it may help with the itching to try one anyway.

You need to get some Themba from the Little Herbal Company on-line. a small pot (11g?) last forever and you put it on as early as poss and keep it up until the cold sore has gone. it's miraculous stuff and DH's used to last 2 weeks or more and find the scab phase awful. This stuff seems to knock them in 3 days or so and he finds it really soothing for the scab phase.

I would second starshaker's comment. I used to get really dreadful coldsores, so hideous to look at but also very painful. I got aciclover tablets (you take a course of 5 tablets daily for 5 days),which gives you immunity from them for upto 3 months. Now as soon as I feel a tingle I start popping my pills and they hardly come to anything, maybe a small blister for a couple of days.

I get regular coldsores. For the scab stage, I generally use bliteeze (blistex?) to keep it from cracking/bleeding, & is medicated so helps with the healing porocess too. I use cooled boiled water & salt to clean, esp in the mornings when it's bled overnight (sorry, TMI!), they always seem to look worse in the mornings & need a bit of a clean.

To avoid: Always wear sunblock on lips when outside, esp. when it's sunny/windy. Re-apply OFTEN. I also get them more when I'm not looking after myself, try to eat plenty of fresh veg/fruit & drink LOADS of water.

I don't get a 'pre-itch' & seem immune to most zoviorax type things (think it's because I've had them forever) & do the same as you to get over the blister stage. Alcohol's also good at drying them up.

Sorry about the spelling!