Tips For Getting Rid of Cold Sores

Learning how to get rid of cold sores is a fairly simple thing. Preventative techniques can help, but once you have a cold sore the pain can just get so aggravating. Here are some tips to help you take care of both the pain and the physical problem of the sore itself.

The herpes virus generally causes cold sores. Making direct contact with someone who has a cold sore, namely direct oral or genital contact, will certainly increase your chances of acquiring cold sores yourself. It can take anywhere from one to two weeks to get rid of your cold sores. The virus will stay in your body for the rest of your life, but you can maintain yourself in a way that keeps the sores from appearing on a regular basis.

First off, avoid any kind of close contact with friends that may have visible cold sores. If, for example, your girlfriend or boyfriend has them but you don't learn about them until after making sexual contact, then make an attempt to avoid further contact with that person in the future. Yeah, not the most flattering thing to have to say to someone, "sorry, I can't date you anymore because I don't want cold sores," but it might be necessary for you to at least communicate that somehow. Even kissing someone with cold sores can lead to you acquiring them, so watch out for that as well.

Make an attempt to avoid exposure to temperatures that are extreme on either end, both cold and hot. High and low temperatures can actually increase the likelihood of a breakout.

If you use lip-gloss at all, try to use lip-gloss with some added sunscreen. This can help to reduce the chances of a flare up - the sunscreen additive does the job, so keep that in mind when searching how to get rid of cold sores.

Fluids, fluids, fluids! Make sure to drink a lot of liquid. If you can manage to constantly flush your body with liquids, water and juice most certainly, then you can help to deduce the amount of time that it takes for your cold sores to recede.

Do you like drinking tea? Even if you don't, you can hold the teabag, make sure it's wet, to your cold sore and the herbs within the bag will help to reduce inflammation. Chamomile and peppermint teabags are a great choice. Herbs that help that are not generally found in teabags include Witch Hazel. This grows naturally in China, Japan and most of North America. This herb doesn't make your sores go away, but it quickly reduces the inflammation you're experiencing. Most local health food stores carry this herb and it's not that expensive.

One of the best things you can do in your search for how to get rid of cold sores is use aloe vera. It's cheap, it's plentiful and it reduces the pain, the inflammation and even soothes the irritation almost immediately. If you're on a tight monthly budget, aloe vera might be the way to go.