Effective Ways for Treating Cold Sores

You have a cold sore. How can you get rid of it fast? Cold sores are horridly irritating and not terribly attractive. They come from the herpes simplex virus and you never really know when they're going to show up.

For a person who has the herpes simplex virus in his system, cold sores can be triggered by a number of things - having a cold or the flu, being really stressed out, exposure to the sun, hormonal fluctuations or changes in the immune system. Sometimes cold sores appear on your lips and inside your mouth for no identifiable reason at all!

But the outcome is the same - pain and embarrassment coupled with a frantic search for an effective method for treating cold sores.  Fortunately, there are some great ways to treat cold sores.

Some involve prescribed medications or over-the-counter medications and others involve using natural remedies, and medicines to help relieve the pain you experience with a cold sore.

The best way of treating cold sores is to start early. The moment you feel a cold sore coming on, you need to take action so that you can keep the sore from fully developing and also to reduce its duration.

Normally, a cold sore lasts for between seven and ten days. Even if you can reduce the duration to a few days, that's a huge improvement. And if you can prevent the outbreak, that's even better! So start early.

Another important way of treating cold sores is to just do what you can to prevent them. This will involve keeping your immune system as strong as possible by taking vitamin supplements that boost immunity, such as vitamin A, C and E, along with a B vitamin complex and the mineral zinc. These will help to keep the herpes simplex virus in check within your system.

If you do experience a cold sore attack, your best bet is to use the medication or natural remedy of choice. This could mean the prescribed medication specifically for cold sores in either pill or cream form, or an over-the-counter medication that is formulated to stop the virus from growing.

Natural remedies such as lysine, lemon balm, bee propolis, self-heal and resveratrol can all be effective ways of treating cold sores.  When you do have a cold sore, remember that a cold compress can help with the pain, as can medications with benzocaine or benzyl alcohol as active ingredients. And ointment containing the herb chapparal can bring relief from pain, too. Don't forget that sometimes a painkiller such as ibuprofen, acetominophen or aspirin can do wonders.

Be sure to use a moisturizing cream or balm that will help prevent your cold sores from cracking and bleeding. This will make the treatment time more bearable and will keep your sores from getting infected and looking even worse.

Don't allow cold sores to ruin your life. Have a plan of action ready so that when they strike, you have a complete scheme for treating cold sores.