Having cold sore outbreaks can really get you down. A cold sore is embarrassing and often occurs on an important day. It is irritatingly itchy and painful as well. Furthermore you have to deal with it for a week or more. Especially if you let it take its own course. What’s worse is that you will definitely get that familiar tingling and burning feeling of an oncoming outbreak again sooner or later. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the virus that causes cold sore or fever blister outbreaks. But there are a number of remedies you can use to prevent an outbreak or reduce the length of the episode. Some remedies can sooth the pain, reduce the area affected, and speed up the healing process, cutting short the duration of the visible sore. One of the most common remedies, and possibly the cheapest, is treating cold sores and fever blisters with ice.
THE AMAZING EFFECTS OF ICE
A lot of cold sore sufferers testify to the amazing effects that treating cold sores and fever blister with ice has on their outbreaks. Sometimes ice can even stop the virus from turning into a full-blown occurrence. To accomplish this you need to take action immediately at the first sign of an oncoming outbreak, also known as the ‘prodrome stage’, when you get that tingling or itching sensation.
Treating cold sores and fever blisters with ice involves putting an ice pack on the area affected and holding it there for a few minutes and taking it off occasionally if it gets too painful. Do this for about 10-15 minutes every hour or more, if you have time. Doing this in the early stages of an outbreak reduces the virus’ metabolism, discourages its reproduction and can eventually push the virus back into hibernation. Treating cold sores and fever blisters with ice is a fairly effective way to stop a full-blown outbreak. The results may vary from one person to another.
In the event that it continues to develop, continue applying ice on the area to help ease the pain and to stop further swelling. This will also make the cold sore go away faster than usual.
OTHER ICE TREATMENTS
Treating cold sores and fever blisters with ice can produce remarkable effects on its own. And if used with other treatments, it can produce better results.
Frozen tea bags are an example of a treatment with ice incorporated in it. This treatment provides the soothing effects of ice and increases the potential of suppressing the cold sore virus. Tea contains natural anti-viral properties that can be used as an organic remedy for cold sores or fever blisters.
Another combination that many sufferers find success with is; ice followed by rubbing alcohol. This dries out the sore and keeps the area sterile.
There are many other home remedies for treating cold sores or fever blisters that sufferers have used with varying degrees of success. Using ice as an inhibitive measure and in combination with other treatments for cold sores or fever blisters is fairly effective. However treating cold sores or fever blisters with ice is still treating an outbreak. A more effective solution would be to stop the cold sore before it starts.