Do Home Remedies for Cold Sores Really Work?
Do home remedies for cold sores really work? Curing cold sores is difficult, if not next to impossible. No treatment works for everyone. One person will have good results with a remedy and another person will say that it doesn't work for them. In addition there are differing strategies.
One approach is to try and dry the sore. Another approach is to keep it moist and deprive it of oxygen, and still a third is to dry it out and then keep it moist.
In addition there are other preparations that are normal house hold supplies that do not fall into either category, with examples of how they could be used.
DRYING OUT THE SORE
The method of drying out the sore involves applying some sort of astringent to the site. There are many different products that accomplish this. Most of them contain alcohol or a solvent that dries out the skin.
Here is a partial list, starting with the most logical and proceeding to the hard to believe. Most of the time one would use ice and/or open the blisters with a needle before using these products.
Rubbing alcohol
Finger nail polish remover (acetone)
Hydrogen peroxide
Hand sanitizer
Mouthwash
Aftershave
Cologne
Clearasil
Bath soap
Toothpaste
Salt
Sulfur from unburned match heads
Deodorant
Vinegar
Bleach
Jack Daniels
Do home remedies for cold sores really work? Drying the sore is probably a better strategy than keeping it moist. Almost all of the over the counter preparations keep the area moist. Usually this is not effective in shortening the episode.
Over 61% of the people reporting, said that the commercial products were not effective, or even made the outbreak worse.
KEEPING THE SORE MOIST
Here is a partial list of the products that will keep the sore moist if you want to try that option:
Vaseline
Neosporin
Campho phenique
Aloe Vera
Mentholatum
Abreva
Chap stick
Desitin
Orajel
Lip balm
Ear wax
Your own skin oil
DRYING IT OUT AND THEN KEEPING IT MOIST
The procedure for this is to dry the sore out until a scab forms and then keep the scab moist so it doesn't crack or bleed while it heals.
OTHER HELPFUL PURPORTED REMEDIES
Next is a partial list of remedies that don't really fall into either category. However they are reported to be helpful in treating cold sores.
Chopped garlic, or garlic pieces
Tea tree oil
Green tea bag
Frozen tea bag
Dried Instant coffee made into a paste with a little water
Pepto Bismal
Whole milk
Eucalyptus oil
Preparation H
Hydrocortisone
Green Papaya Sap
Benadryl applied topically with lip balm
Calamine lotion
Many home remedies combine several of these products which can be complicated, time consuming and painful.
Do home remedies for cold sores really work? Most of these home remedies are reported to shorten the episode, but again they focus on applying something to the sore after it has already started. So the best that can be expected is to shorten the healing time and perhaps relieve some of the pain. However be aware that some of them actually increase the pain.
There are vitamins and supplements that can reduce or even eliminate outbreaks and make all of these remedies unnecessary.
EXTREME EXAMPLES OF HOME REMEDIES
Here is an extreme example of a real cold sore sufferer's home remedy.
First, open the blisters with a needle
Then apply apple cider vinegar with salt (yes, it is painful)
After 20 minutes apply lemon with salt until the stinging stops
Next put toothpaste on it overnight
In the morning apply Vaseline, followed by more vinegar and salt
After that dab with milk
In 20 minutes use rubbing alcohol
In 30 minutes cover it with finger nail polish remover
Finally crush a clove of garlic and hold it to the sore. (Yes, it stings)
By this time the sore is gone and you can cover the redness with lip stick.
Another example from a real world sufferer
Apply bleach with a cotton ball (yes, it burns)
Then hold a wet green tea bag on the site
Next soak a Centrum multi-vitamin tablet, crush it into paste and apply for 20 minutes
Then you end up with a scab so put some cream on it.
There are many other home remedies but you get the idea. It takes a lot of time to treat a cold sore this way and usually a person only shortens the episode by a few days. However these treatments are more effective than over the counter products.
There are better ways to control cold sore out breaks and you may even be able to stop cold sores before they start.
