Why did you stop taking selfies? worried about your new look with cold sores? Easy! try these home remedies for cold sores, lemon balm, tea tree oil, and more.
Cold sores are not just an annoying appearance that prevents you from taking selfies, they are evidence of a viral infection that takes the form of small fluid-filled blisters on the lips or around the mouth. Cold sores usually heal within two to three weeks without leaving a scar.
Causes of cold sores:
Cold sores are mainly caused by the herpes simplex virus type1 (HSV-1), as it may also be caused by the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), but at a lesser rate.
These cold sores give you a warning before attacking and appearing, first you feel numbness in the lip or around the mouth, then you feel a burning sensation, finally, red blisters filled with fluid appear in the same place.
How is the herpes simplex virus transmitted?
The primary method for the spread of the herpes simplex virus is by contacting the infected skin in the area where the virus appears to the skin of the other uninfected one, and this often happens during sex in any form.
Cold sore treatment:
Like most viral diseases, cold sores go away on their own without medical intervention, but who said that the medicines you see in the pharmacy are just elixirs for a complete recovery from various diseases? When scientists fail to find a radical solution to the disease, they make medicines for you that will relieve you of the severity of the disease and its symptoms and make the disease journey shorter until you recover on your own, In this case, you can choose with your doctor between medical drugs in the pharmacy like acyclovir Or valacyclovir, Or you can go for home remedies for cold sores.
Home remedies for cold sores:
1.Ice
One of the easiest and cheapest home remedies for cold sores, go to the freezer and grab a tiny piece of ice, then apply it on the affected area, but be careful not to put it directly, it may damage the skin, you can, for example, wrap it in a piece of gauze then apply it easily, this may relieve the burning feeling which bothers you.
2. Aloe Vera gel:
If you are interested in cosmetic mixtures and formulations, you will hear a lot about aloe vera gel. It is known for its restorative and moisturizing properties, and this is what makes it beneficial to cold sores, in addition, some laboratory experiments have proven its effectiveness in killing viruses including the herpes simplex virus.
3.Propolis
One of the home remedies for cold sores that you may not have heard about before, Propolis is a natural product made by bees. Its nature is resinous. Bees make it from the gum of some types of trees, and so you can apply it to cold sores as an ointment.
4. Peppermint oil:
Laboratory experiments have shown that peppermint oil has tangible results in fighting the first and second types of herpes simplex virus, accordingly, you can apply a small amount of it to the affected area then you will notice the difference by yourself.
5. Tea tree oil:
You may have previously seen this product in the pharmacy formed as oil or soap to treat acne, what is the relationship between tea tree oil and acne? What is its relationship to cold sores? Both are skin lesions, one of which is caused by a virus and the other is bacterial, and tea tree oil has proven its effectiveness in fighting viruses and germs, this makes it one of the effective home remedies for cold sores.
6. Other essential oils:
One of the home remedies for cold sores, which frankly has not been proven effective enough, but it is okay to use it, noting that it should be avoided to apply directly on the blisters and diluted with a carrier oil before applying it to the skin, from these essential oils we can mention:
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Ginger oil
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Thyme oil
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Hyssop
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Sandalwood
7. Kanuka honey:
Ask a young child in kindergarten, if you do not eat honey, what can you do with it? He will tell you that his mother could put it on her face as a mask, so the restorative and cosmetic benefits of honey for the skin are not hidden from the young or old, so it makes sense that it is also useful in the case of cold sores, especially Kanuka honey, which is produced by bees in New Zealand apiaries.
8. Vitamin e and vitamin c:
These two vitamins can be used as one of the home remedies for cold sores. Each of them serves the condition in its way. Vitamin C, or as it is known in the scientific community, ascorbic acid, disrupts the activation of the virus, As for vitamin E, it helps to heal cold sores, as is customary in many cosmetic indications that require a component Nourishes, moisturizes, and repairs the skin.
9. Lemon balm:
Lemon balm is available in cream or capsule form, and if you do not know what it is, it is a herb from the mint family that has many skin uses and cold sores are one of these uses.
10. Apple cider vinegar:
One of the home remedies for cold sores that have antibacterial and antiviral properties, and this is what makes it special in accelerating the healing of the condition, but be careful, you should dilute it with water before applying it to the skin and do not apply it in its concentrated form then use it once or twice daily.
When to go to the doctor?
When you try the home remedies for cold sores that we mentioned in our article or even try other medical treatments and they do not work, or the sores have spread to another place in your body, or the condition is getting worse instead of improving, or you are already suffering from a weak immune system, in this case, It is better to go to the doctor to ask for help.
Summary
In our article, we put in your hands several home remedies for cold sores to choose the easiest and most suitable for you, and we told you that cold sores are a sign of the invasion of the herpes simplex virus, now at the end of the article the best advice we can offer you is to avoid the triggers of cold sores and follow the preventive methods that I advise you to read about, as we always say Prevention is better than cure.
Old is gold, home remedies are our old gold, the old methods that we like to follow every while, no matter how science and medicine evolve.
Let me take you on a short journey to the home remedies world, come on, join me:
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And this article is only for you beautiful lady!
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Written by: Dr.Sawsan Rahhal
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