If a cold sore invades, attack it immediately
Published: Monday, April 4, 2005 at 9:54 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, April 3, 2005 at 11:00 p.m.
It is a menace to your life. This hideous invader hides out and slowly creeps into your life at the most inopportune times, causing embarrassment and alienation from social situations anywhere from 7 to 15 days. The pain-inflicting invader is the dreaded cold sore, not to be confused with canker sore which invades the soft tissues of the mouth and tongue and is not contagious.
Self-care prevention tips
Eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables.
Drink plenty of water.
Protect your skin and lips from the sun, by using sun-block even if it's cold or cloudy.
Take a multivitamin.
Avoid squeezing, pinching, or picking at the blister.
Keep your hands clean; avoid touching your eyes and other body parts if a sore is present. It is extremely important not to rub your eyes after coming in contact with a cold sore. Herpes infection of the eye causes scarring of the cornea and is a leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Avoid sharing items when the blister is present.
Manage stressful situations by getting adequate sleep and exercise.
Be swift to treat the cold sore at the first tingle or itch.
You must attack immediately upon the first sign of tingling or numbness.
The cold sore varies in severity from extremely painful and unsightly to, at other times, so mild that the sore seems invisible.
It starts out as a tingling, burning, itching or numbness on the lip and a small, hard spot that is not yet visible. But sure enough, in a day or two, red blisters appear on the lip. The next couple of days the blisters will fill with fluid, they will break and ooze, leaving a yellowish crust. Then the crust will fall away, leaving a red, tender area.
Also, flu-like symptoms are often experienced with the breakouts. As the immune system strengthens, the redness and irritation will fade away as the virus returns to a dormant state. This the typical progression of the cold sore without treatment.
The sores usually appear on the lips, but they can occur on the nose, chin or fingers. They sometimes appear on the gums or the roof of the mouth, although it's unusual.
The small, seemingly harmless little bump is quite contagious. Cold sores, also known as fever blisters are an infection caused by the herpes simplex 1 virus (HSV-1). It is in the same family of viruses that cause chickenpox, shingles and genital herpes (HSV-2).
Cold sores are most infectious when there are sores or blisters present or just before an outbreak. But sometimes the virus can be passed on even when there are no symptoms. This is why the virus is so common. Most people come into contact with the virus in childhood by kissing a parent with a cold sore, sharing food and eating utensils, or by direct skin-to-skin contact.
The virus remains in the body even after the cold sore disappears. It is in a dormant state in the nerve cells in the skin near the ear. It may stay permanently inactive or a breakout may be triggered anytime the immune system is compromised by stress or fatigue, prolonged exposure to sun or cold weather, hormonal changes such as menstruation or pregnancy or an improper diet.
There is no cure for the 80 percent of Americans with the cold-sore virus and the 55 million who express recurrent symptoms. But there are treatments that can shorten the duration of the sore.
Research indicates that zinc is valuable in tissue growth and repair and when applied to the sores in a cream it decreases viral load, suppresses symptoms and speeds the healing process.
One of many over-the-counter treatments, Novitra, a nonprescription cream with active zinc, can alleviate the cold sore's duration and suppress symptoms.
The amino acid L-lysine has been reported to inhibit the virus' ability to replicate itself. If taken immediately when symptoms occur, it can shorten the duration of the sore. Experts encourage consulting a medical practitioner before taking the amino acid.
Foods such as chocolate, peanuts, grains, peas, seeds, oatmeal and whole-wheat products are high in the amino acid arginine, which aids the growth and reproduction of the virus. Researchers have discovered that reducing these foods from the diet speeds up the healing process.
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