Hello Everyone,
I've had this ugly crusty cold sore for six days now. I've been treating it with campho-phenique & taking 2 L-Lysine 1000 mg tablets orally twice a day.
It has gotten hard (YUCK) & I don't want to pick at it. I'm afraid, if I pick at it & take the (YUCK) crust off it, it will leave permanent scarring. Could I be right?
What's a SUSTA to do? Help a SUSTA out!
Thank You Kindly.
What should I do? Prevention
Prevention of cold sores is advisable. Herpes simplex is highly contagious! Avoid kissing someone with cold sores or having sex with someone who has genital herpes. Exposure to sun triggers one in four cases of cold sores. Use a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF on your lips and other susceptible areas. If stress triggers them, practice relaxation techniques. Don't use the same towels, razors or utensils as someone with cold sores. Replace your toothbrush when you feel the tingling sensation at the outbreak of an attack, after the blister breaks and when the sore is gone and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching the sores.
As part of a preventive program for people who get cold sores frequently it is a good idea to boost your immune system. Try taking the herbs echinacea and goldenseal to boost immune system.
Supplements
Vitamin C Take 200-500 mg. of vitamin C along with 200-500 mg. of citrus bioflavonoids three times a day. This remedy will greatly reduce the duration of the sores.
Vitamin E, applied topically, will provide pain relief.
Yogurt Eating plain yogurt (with acidophilus) with live cultures is a good preventive measure. Heat-treated yogurt won't work. People who have added yogurt to their daily diet have discovered that they don't get cold sores, or very few. Yogurt seems to stimulate the immune system.
Zinc Using zinc has been reported to reduce the duration of cold sores. Applied topically, it speeds healing. Zinc tablets may also help, but don't take more than 15 mg for more than a week or so without medical supervision. Take up to 60 mg a day for the first week.
Remedies
Acidophilus Take four acidophilus capsules three or four times a day with milk. The milk is an activating culture medium for the bacilli. This will soothe the sore and speed up healing. If you do this when you feel a burning or itching at the onset of the cold sore, this remedy may inhibit the formation of the lesion.
Aloe When the tingling starts, try rubbing juice from an aloe plant on the affected area. If you are traveling, take a bottle of aloe gel with you just in case a sore begins. This remedy is especially effective if used at the first sign of a cold sore, but will also stop it later on, too, and will begin the healing process immediately and keep the sore from "blossoming."
Chaparral Native Americans used the herb chaparral (Larrea tridentata) as a remedy for colds and viruses, arthritis, burns, sores and other problems. Recently a company has patented a product called Larreastat derived from chaparral that has proven very effective in deactivating certain viruses, relieving inflammation and clearing up certain skin conditions. The product comes in capsules and a spray, which provides almost instant relief from cold sore pain.
Cornstarch Apply a cornstarch paste.
Camphor Have your pharmacist mix up some spirits of camphor and dab it on the sore with a cotton ball.
DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) Dab it on the sores twice daily with your fingers or a cotton ball. It stops the growth of the virus by penetrating right to the center of the herpes infection.
Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) - mix a few drops of GSE with aloe or another liquid, such as olive oil, and dab it on to the sore. GSE is very strong, so use sparingly!
Ice Another method to ease the pain is to rub an ice cube on the sore for a few minutes. This is especially good to do at the onset of a cold sore. Apply ice every ten minutes for an hour. This process may prevent the movement of the virus from the nerve to the skin.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) German studies indicated that an extract of lemon balm reduced symptoms and sped the healing process. See mint remedy below.
Lomatium (Lomatium dissectum) has a long history of use by Native Americans. Research suggests that it may be effective against viruses and is a prime infection fighter. Use an extract instead of a tincture to avoid getting a full-body rash.
* Combine equal parts of tinctures of echinacea, calendula, oats, burdock, and lomatium and take 1/2 teaspoon four or five times a day. This combination of herbs will boost the immune system, soothe inflamed tissues, remove toxins from the body, and kill viruses and bacteria.
Lysine Many people have reported that taking the amino acid L-lysine has prevented or lessened the duration of their cold sores. Apparently, the herpes virus uses another amino acid, arginine, to grow and replicate while lysine inhibits the virus' ability to replicate itself. Reduce your intake of arginine-containing foods as mentioned above. If you get sores frequently take 1,500 to 3,000 mg. daily as a preventive measure. When you feel a sore coming on, take 3,000 mg daily until the sore crusts over. Experiment with the dosage until you find one that inhibits recurrence by reducing the amount until you find the optimal maintenance dosage, perhaps to 300-600 mg. Lysine may also be applied topic When it gets scabby you need to keep it soft with blistex or carmex something like that till it heals and a large one can take several weeks. In the future have some medicine available like Abreva to put on immediately when you feel a cold sore coming. You need to buy it in advance because for it to work the best it needs to be applied ASAP when you first start feeling the tingling at the start of the sore. It can reduce the size and duration by quite a lot and I have found out it can even stop it from coming out if you get it early enough. see a dermatologist or physician. Cold sores are a form of herpes. They could put you on valtrex or H-balm. Really, no joke. Don't panic,try some cold sore patches they work for me :) I'm starting to get a cold sore too. Herpes are fo life, brotha. herpes |
