Cold sores are horrible. If you have ever experienced one you know the feeling of just wanting it to go away. They can be painful and look awful. Some people are plagued by them on a regular basis, for others it may be an occasional headache. No matter where you stand on cold sores you need to know everything you can about avoiding them and treating them.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus. They are extremely contagious. They look like red blisters that usually form around the mouth. A clear liquid will ooze from them and then they scab over. They are not pretty to look at and can be extremely painful.. You will usually feel a burning sensation even before they appear. If you have ever had a cold sore then you are a carrier of the virus. It will lie dormant until triggered, usually by a weak immune system. Most cold sores last between 10 and 14 days. You should be careful when you have a cold sore so you do not transmit the virus to others.
Avoiding a cold sore flare up is just a matter of keeping yourself healthy. Taking vitamins has proven to be effect, a multi-vitamin, especially B12, Vitamin C and calcium are especially effective. Eating chocolate or nuts has proven to cause flare-ups as they contain arginine which helps the virus grow. Excess sun exposure has also been linked with cold sores. Eating yogurt helps boost your immune system and is a good way to prevent a cold sore. There is no cure for the herpes virus, so taking some steps to prevent a flare up is the best way to avoid cold sores.
Treating a cold sore is about comfort and getting it to heal faster. Some proven methods have been taking vitamin C or applying one of the following: ice, zinc, grapeseed extract, cornstarch paste, mint extract, tea bag, Vaseline. The whole idea of getting rid of a cold sore is to dry it up, so applying anything that will help that process will work. Healing a cold sore can be a long process, but once you understand why they happen and how to avoid them you shouldn’t have to deal with them too often.
What you should know about cold sores was written by Craig Dawber, The infomation found in this website can without doubt can help with Avoiding a cold sores check it out http://www.coldsoresguide.info.