Abreva Cold Sore Treatment: All Help or All Hype?

Cold Sores are a fact of life for many people. Roughly 90% of adults have been exposed to the herpes simplex type I virus that causes cold sores on the mouth and nose. Once contracted, this virus lies dormant in the nerve endings until triggered. Once triggered, it creates a tingly, itchy, fluid-filled blister or cluster of blisters that is uncomfortable and embarrassing. The blisters usually last for up to three days before they turn into an even more unsightly scab. The scab can take up to two weeks to heal.

There are many triggers for cold sores. Colds, the flu, stress, and sun exposure are just a few of the known triggers. People who suffer from repeat cold sores usually learn what their particular triggers are and avoid them as much as possible. But, if you are a frequent sufferer, you know that at least once a year, that familiar, tingly itch will appear, leaving you with an embarrassing blister and scab.

There are as many home remedies for cold sores as there are cold sore sufferers. I have found some that work, if I use them at the first sign of the tingle. Putting ice or a baking soda paste on the tingly spot will often stop a cold sore in its tracks. But, if I either don't notice it or am not home and can't treat it right away, I end up with blisters that result in scabs. This happens to me at least once a year. I prefer to always go for the home remedy first, so it was with much skepticism that I bought a tube of Abreva, the newest cold sore treatment on the market. I had seen the commercials on TV for months and thought that there was no way it would work as well as my home remedies, even though I had yet to find a home remedy that was particularly effective once the blister stage started.

At the start of my last cold sore, I was sleeping. I woke up in the middle of the night with itching and burning in my typical cold sore spot. Unfortunately, I was too groggy and sleepy to do anything about it. When I woke up in the morning, the cluster of blisters had already formed and it was shaping up to be a large cold sore. I happened to be going shopping that day and decided to try Abreva for the first time. At just over $12.00 a tube, I hesitated. I actually had the product in my cart, put it back on the shelf, finished my shopping and, as I was getting ready to go to the checkout, decided to buy it after all.

Abreva contains 10% docosanol, a cold sore/fever blister treatment. It is advertised as the only FDA approved treatment to shorten cold sore healing time. The package directions indicate that Abreva should be applied at least five times a day until the cold sore is healed. You may use cosmetics over Abreva, such as cover-up or lipstick, but should remove all cosmetics before each application of Abreva.

The directions were simple enough to follow, so I applied the first treatment as soon as I got home from the store. Within one hour of applying Abreva, I noticed that the area around my cold sore was less swollen and less red. Twenty-four hours later, after applying Abreva several times, the swelling was almost completely gone and the area surrounding the cold sore was a light pink color. The itching and burning sensations were completely gone.

I continued to apply Abreva faithfully for the duration of the cold sore and was pleasantly surprised that my cold sore never scabbed over. The blisters shrunk and healed, leaving dry skin behind, but no scabs. The cold sore lasted barely a week before all visible signs that it had even been there were gone. I had never had a cold sore that had reached the blister stage leave without scabbing. I have also never had a cold sore heal completely in less than two weeks.

Because the cold sore never scabbed, it was easy to cover up the spot with makeup. A typical cold sore looks worse when cosmetics are used because the makeup tends to highlight the dry skin and scabbed area. Abreva kept the dry skin moisturized so that I was able to apply cover-up on top of the sore and have a smooth finish. Once the cold sore was completely healed, I no longer needed make-up in this spot since there was no scar.

At over $12 a tube, Abreva does seem like an investment. But, as is typical of many medicated creams, a little goes a long way. The tube will last for a couple of years, at least. If you are a frequent cold sore sufferer, then Abreva is for you. It will shorten your healing time, give the cold sore a better appearance while it is healing, and soothe the itching and burning sensation that goes hand in hand with cold sores. This is the medication cold sore sufferers have been waiting for.