Cold sores usually appear on the lips and areas around the mouth. But sometimes they can appear on the cheeks, on the nose and in your nostrils. The virus travels through nerve paths and can find its way to other areas of your face if these areas are near the initial vicinity of infection. Getting cold sores or fever blisters in and around the nose and on other parts of your face can be more painful than the ones that generally appear on the lips and around the mouth.
The cold sores or fever blisters in and around the nose are similar to those that appear on your lips and mouth. They swell and form blisters which erupt, produce scabbing and finally heal, usually leaving no scars. This is called nasal herpes. Basically, the virus goes through the same stages that oral herpes goes through; that of the ‘prodrome’ stage, the ‘weeping’ stage and the ‘healing’ stage.
The ‘prodome’ stage consists of feeling a burning or tingling feeling followed by a formation of a cluster of small blisters at the site of infection. Next is the ‘weeping’ stage when the fever blister starts to ooze and crust over into a scab. Finally, in the ‘healing’ stage, the cold sores or fever blisters in or around the nose scab or crust over and are replaced by fresh new skin.
The cold sores or fever blisters in and around the nose can be a result of autoinoculation, where you actually spread the virus from one area to another yourself. Cold sores are highly contagious. Picking your nose when you accidentally touch an active outbreak of a cold sore is one way of transmitting the virus to your nostrils. Being conscious of what you touch and where your hands have been will help avoid spreading the virus to other parts of your body. Washing your hands often with soap and water will also help prevent autoinoculation.
The cold sores or fever blisters in and around the nose can get really irritating and extremely painful particularly if you have the flu or a cold at the same time. The conditions inside the nose, being moist and warm, make the virus thrive which can increase its chances to infect nearby areas and can lead to a longer healing time than usual. They are aggravated every time you try to blow and wipe your nose as it is nearly impossible to avoid the sores. When the scabbing stage begins, the crusting becomes hard due to the constant flow of air in the nostrils. This means the scabs can easily break and bleed with just a movement of your nose. The skin in the nostrils is fragile and thin which increases the possibility of the scabs breaking and bleeding easily. This can promote further infection of the virus.
Applying home remedies like placing ice on the nose can help relieve the pain of the cold sores or fever blisters and can speed up the healing time. Taking L-lysine can also shorten the duration of the episode.
Having cold sores or fever blisters on any part of your face is unpleasant enough. But having cold sores and fever blisters in and around your nose could possibly be the worst. However it may be possible to stop a cold sore or fever blister in and around the nose before it starts.