A doctor has shared the ‘best’ way to stop a cold sores in its tracks before it develops into a blister, and it’ll save you weeks of pain and discomfort waiting for it to heal
Around two out of three people under the age of 50 suffer from cold sores and may have no idea how to stop them in their tracks before they fully develop. To help out, Doctor Eric Berg has shared his expert tips on how to “get rid of cold sores overnight” so you don’t have to put up with the pain and sight of them.
Cold sores, caused by the highly contagious herpes simplex virus (HSV), typically HSV-1, show up as a small, fluid-filled blister on or around the lips or nose. Without treatment, cold sores usually clear up within 10 days but they are contagious and may be irritating or painful while they heal.
They can be triggered by various things – such as illness, sunshine or being on your period.
In his video, the doctor said: “The secret is to address it right before it turns into a blister. If you start feeling tingling, pain or numbness on your lip, redness or even burning, you want to do several things to stop the reproduction of the virus.
“Put ice on the lip – viruses hate cold. You can also put some tropical zinc on your lip. You can take lysine – one to three grams. Lysine blocks the food for the virus called arginine.”
Commenting on his post, one user said: “Lysine all the way!” While someone else added: “Lysine works really well I use about two grams every couple of hours.”
A third wrote: I take lysine everyday for preventative measures. I went from about four cold sores a year to one every two to three years.”
However, someone else also argued: “Lysine makes mine worse.”
Giving an alternative product, one person wrote: “I have suffered from cold sores all my life and I have tried everything. Of course they always occur at the worst times! Ice does help but Valtrex worked the best – they’re horrible!”
While another said: “I recently started red light at the first sign. Completely stopped it in its tracks!”
What the NHS recommends
- Avoid anything that triggers your cold sores – such as sunbeds
- Use sunblock lip balm (SPF 15 or above) if you’re outside in the sun
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease pain and swelling (liquid paracetamol is available for children) – do not give aspirin to children under 16
- Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
- do not touch your cold sore (apart from applying antiviral cream) – and if you do wash your hands before and after
- Do not rub cream into the cold sore – dab it on instead
- Do not eat acidic or salty food if it makes your cold sore feel worse