Outbreaks of cold sores or fever blisters are caused by the replication process of the herpes simplex virus. Both strains - type 1 and the type 2 - cause identical sores. Many viruses disappear over time but the cold sore virus will be with you for life.
The good news - although with you a lifetime, the cold sore virus is normally asleep. It hides in your nerve cells near the initial infection. 35 people out of a 100 that carry the herpes virus will not get one outbreak in a lifetime. The other 65 of us will get a cold sore at least once every 8.4 months.
Cold sores and fever blisters are highly contagious. Not only must you be careful not to infect someone else, but you should be extra cautious not to re-infect another spot on your own body. Wherever the virus can get through the skin, it will form a new cold sore colony there.
Often you will see people with multiple sores around the mouth. These cold sores are spread from lack of properly treating the original sore. Also, every caution must be used to avoid getting the cold sore virus in the eyes. This usually causes vision loss with non-reversible damage to the cornea.
Responsible care of your cold sore is very simple and will greatly reduce the chance of creating new sores on yourself or your family. Never touch the sore with your bare fingers, no matter how much it itches. A cold sore is most contagious from the initial tingling until totally healed.
Use throw-away cotton balls, swabs, tissue or paper towels to continually cleanse the sore with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. This will greatly reduce the virus count of the wound and will help keep your fingers sterile. Use hand sanitizing gel frequently, even if you did not think you touched the wound.
Prevention of cold sores and fever blisters, of course, is the ideal solution. Then the risk of spreading is almost zero. Best of all, you do not have to suffer the pain and embarrassment in public. Let us take a look at a couple really easy ways to prevent them that have proven to work well.
First and foremost, if you are prone to getting cold sores, it would be wise to take a good quality vitamin supplement on a daily basis. This not only reduces the effects of cold sore causing stress, but greatly enhances your immune system.
One extremely popular treatment for cold sores is the amino acid lysine - using about 3000 milligrams spread out during the day. Between cold sores, as a preventative, many people take one capsule (500 milligrams) per day.
Keep in mind that the cause of all cold sores and fever blisters is the extremely contagious virus called herpes simplex. Please use every caution to prevent further spreading to loved ones and to other parts of your body - especially your eyes.
Finally, you should use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol soaked cotton balls or tissues to continually cleanse and disinfect the sore. Also, taking a regular vitamin supplement will help reduce your stress, keep your immune system super strong, and ultimately help prevent cold sores and fever blisters.
Cold sores and fever blisters are produced by the herpes simplex virus - both type 1 or type 2 strains. Many viruses come and go but the herpes virus is with you for life. It is a very tough virus, having survived nearly unchanged for over 2150 years.
The good news - although with you a lifetime, the cold sore virus is normally asleep. It hides in your nerve cells near the initial infection. 35 people out of a 100 that carry the herpes virus will not get one outbreak in a lifetime. The other 65 of us will get a cold sore at least once every 8.4 months.
Extremely contagious are cold sore or fever blister outbreaks. It can be spread to others through direct contact or with community objects such as towels. The most common spread of this virus, however, is to another spot on your own body with virus on the fingers.
One cold sore on the lip can easily be spread to many other sites on the lips, giving you a whole lip full of sores. Every spot where the virus can find a way through the skin creates a new cold sore colony. The most feared is spreading the virus to your eyes. It happens - and usually results in some permanent vision damage.
Responsible care of your cold sore is very simple and will greatly reduce the chance of creating new sores on yourself or your family. Never touch the sore with your bare fingers, no matter how much it itches. A cold sore is most contagious from the initial tingling until totally healed.
Use throw-away cotton balls, swabs, tissue or paper towels to continually cleanse the sore with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. This will greatly reduce the virus count of the wound and will help keep your fingers sterile. Use hand sanitizing gel frequently, even if you did not think you touched the wound.
Prevention of cold sores and fever blisters, of course, is the ideal solution. Then the risk of spreading is almost zero. Best of all, you do not have to suffer the pain and embarrassment in public. Let us take a look at a couple really easy ways to prevent them that have proven to work well.
If you get cold sores, the most important first step in preventing them is taking a daily regimen of a good multi-vitamin. This will help you deal with stress more effectively. Also, it will really boost your immune system to prevent the virus from creating the cold sore.
Lysine is reputed to be an effective cold sore treatment as well as a possible preventative. It does work very well when used orally, but is not too effective put directly on the sore. A therapeutic dosage during (or just prior to) a cold sore event is usually 1000 milligrams to 4000 milligrams daily. A maintenance regimen would be about 500 milligrams per day.
Keep in mind that the cause of all cold sores and fever blisters is the extremely contagious virus called herpes simplex. Please use every caution to prevent further spreading to loved ones and to other parts of your body - especially your eyes.
And finally, using alcohol soaked swabs or tissues will help sterilize the cold sore and reduce the risk of passing it on. Keeping the immune system strong by taking a good nutritional supplement may be, like others have found, all you need to prevent future cold sores and fever blisters.
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