To treat cold sores more quickly, reduce pain, discomfort and the risk of contaminating others, an antiviral ointment may be applied every 2 hours as soon as symptoms of itching, pain or blisters begin to appear. In addition to ointments, there are also small patches that can cover wounds, preventing the spread of herpes and contamination of others.
In the most severe cases, where herpes takes more than 10 days to go away, your doctor may also recommend the use of antiviral pills, to speed up treatment and prevent recurrence.
- Herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus.
- Which does not cure and manifests in painful blisters in the mouth.
- Lasting between 7 and 10 days.
- It is a contagious disease.
- Which is transmitted through direct contact with bubbles or liquids.
- So whenever symptoms are obvious.
- Kissing should be avoided.
- Especially in infants.
- As they can be life-threatening.
- In addition.
- It should be noted that the person can also contaminate glasses.
- Cutlery and towels that come into contact with the wounds.
Treatment of cold sores can be guided by a gpated or a pharmacist and is usually done with the use of ointments such as:
During treatment, the person should be careful not to contaminate anyone and therefore should not touch his lips with other people and should always dry with his own towel and should not share glasses and cutlery.
As an alternative to ointment, a liquid dressing can be used on the lesion, which will help heal and relieve pain caused by herpes. In addition, this adhesive also prevents contamination and spread of the virus and is transparent, making it very discreet.
An example of a liquid dressing is Mercurochrome Filmogel for cold sores, which can be applied 2 to 4 times a day.
Oral antivirals can be used in more severe cases and in immunocompromised people, who may develop complications. In addition, they can also be used as a long-term treatment to prevent relapse, but only on a doctor’s recommendation.
The most commonly used medicines for the treatment of cold sores are aciclovir (Zovirax, Hervirax), valaciclovir (Valtrex, Herpstal) and fanciclovir (Penvir).
Home treatments can be used in addition to the treatment prescribed by your doctor, such as eating 1 tooth of raw garlic a day, which should be started at the first signs of herpes and should be maintained until it heals. In addition to this, other home remedies prepared with Jambu and Lemongrass, for example, also help relieve symptoms and cure blisters in the mouth faster. Here’s how to prepare these home remedies for cold sores.
Eating the right foods also helps cure herpes sores in less time. Watch the video below and find out how food can help fight herpes:
In the case of recurrent cold sores, which occur more than 5 times in the same year, treatment should be done with the application of the ointment indicated by the doctor, when you begin to feel itching or burning in the lip area. To prevent herpes from appearing so often, it is recommended to:
Although cold sores disappear completely after treatment, they can recur several times during the patient’s lifetime, especially during periods of increased stress, after prolonged periods of other diseases, due to low immunity, or when the person is more time exposed to the sun, such as vacation, for example.
Another way to decrease the frequency of herpes is to take a lysine supplement in capsules. Simply take 1 or 2 capsules of 500 mg a day for 3 months, or according to the advice of the dermatologist or pharmacist. The capsules should be taken when the sores of the herpes improve and prevent them from reappearing, also decreasing their intensity.
In addition, in some cases, your doctor may also recommend treatment with oral antivirals.
Treatment of cold sores during pregnancy and lactation should be done with caution. Therefore, the woman should consult the doctor to tell her of a medicine that is not harmful to the baby. A good option is to use liquid dressings, which have no antivirals in their composition and are just as effective, or antiviral creams, such as Penvir lip, when instructed by the obstetrician.
In addition, home remedies such as propolis also promote healing of herpes sores and help relieve inflammation. Discover how to make a good homemade ointment with propolis.
Signs of improved cold sores appear approximately 4 days after starting treatment and include less itching, less redness, and healing of sores and blisters in the mouth. Signs of aggravation of cold sores are more common in patients who do not perform treatment properly and include the appearance of herpes in other areas of the lips, inside the mouth and pain when chewing and swallowing, for example.