Question and Answer: Why do I Keep Getting Cold Sores?

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Cold sores are a common problem – and often affect the same person multiple times.  But why is this?  Why, once you have had a cold sore once, do you seem much more susceptible to get them gain in the future – sometimes for no apparent or obvious reason?

The answer is directly related to the ultimate cause of cold sores – the herpes virus (or Herpes Simplex, type 1).

Herpes is a virus spread from person to person by saliva – so through kissing someone infected with the disease or sharing glasses, plates and cutlery with them.  it is at it’s most contagious when the infected individual is suffering from an outbreak of cold sores, however, in some cases can be spread when there are no visible signs of the virus or sores.  This is, I must point out, rare though – by fat the most common way to catch the Herpes virus is by kissing someone who has a cold sore at the time.

Cold sores can be treated (click here for more about the best remedies) fairly easily – and go away without leaving a scar.

But Why Do cold Sores Keep Coming Back?

The reason for this is that while cold sores can be treated and usually go away within a few days to a week, the herpes virus remains in your body for a long time – indeed, it often stays permanently.  There is no cure or way of getting rid of it, but there are, however, ways of preventing cold sores from reoccurring – even if you are infected with oral herpes.

For as long as you have the herpes virus in your body, and it remains untreated, cold sores will reoccur.  However, there are many ways you can prevent them – which, for most people, will be effectively the same as curing the virus as they will no longer (or very rarely) get cold sores in the future.

What Are the Best Remedies and Preventions For Cold Sores?

Basically, you have two options if you have been infected with herpes, are suffering with reoccurring cold sores and want to prevent them from coming back again – antiviral medication or natural cold sore remedies and preventions.

There are a range of anti viral drugs available – and your local medical professional or pharmacist will be the best person to ask for more information about these.

However, there are also many holistic natural remedies that have worked for a large number of people too.  Please bear in mind that every person is different – and therefore what works for one person may not work the same for another.  However, these cold sore and herpes remedies have been reported by those who used them as highly successful in preventing and treating cold sores.

What is the Best Remedy for Cold Sores?

It depends on the person, but I recommend these natural remedies for anyone looking to cure or prevent cold sores.

They have been around for a long time – and many users have reported back how well they work.  There are numerous testimonials on the Internet for some of them too.

Click here for more information.

Is There a Cure for Cold Sores?

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A large number of people suffer with cold sores, ultimately caused by the notorious herpes simplex virus, but many do not know if it can be cured – or even the most effective treatments for outbreaks of cold sores.

However, there are many treatments available – both medicinal and holistic natural cold sore remedies.  As each body is different, the results and success rate will differ from one person to another, but there are a number of treatments that are effective for the vast majority of sufferers – which are easy to apply and cost effective too.

Two Problems: the Cold Sores and the Virus

Before we can talk about effective cold sore remedies, it is important to make a distinction between the cold sores themselves and the virus that causes them.

Cold sores are clusters of fluid filled blisters that appear around the mouth – in red swollen areas of the skin.  Cold sores usually heal without leaving any scar, and will usually do so on their own – but there are ways to treat them and make them go away faster.  They are simply blisters that can be painful an unsightly, but not a serious health issue.  They are caused by the herpes virus.

Herpes is a virus that is spread through saliva (e.g. through close personal contact – like kissing).  There are two types – type 1 (oral herpes) and type 2 (genital herpes).  Cold sores are caused by type 1.  It is difficult to get rid of, but even for those infected, it is possible to treat cold sore outbreaks and prevent them from occurring.

It is possible, often fairly easy, to prevent or get rid of an outbreak of sold sores around the mouth.  There are a number of effective ways of doing this – and some highly recommended products that are able to get rid of cold sores quickly.

But the herpes simplex virus is virtually impossible to completely cure.

Is There an Effective Cold Sore Remedy?

There are a number of effective cold sore remedies that I review in detail on this site – click here to see the top ones.

There are also a number of things you can do to prevent yourself from getting cold sores – both outbreaks of the sores themselves as well as the herpes simplex virus that causes them – which are effective for many people.  Find out more about the effective steps to take in to prevent cold sores here.

What is the Most Effective Cold Sore Remedy?

There are a number of them – both natural cures and medical creams and treatments.  Some people have even used laser treatment to get rid of cold sores, although I think this is a bit extreme for most people.

As cold sores heal on their own after about a week – you could just leave them and make sure that they do not become infected or inflamed simply be avoiding the things that make them worse.

However, for most people who want a quick and easy cold sore remedy this is just not an option.

There are a number of ways to get rid of cold sores fast – these are the most effective and easy to use – click here for more information.

What Causes Cold Sores?

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Cold sores are a common problem – especially in the cold weather when they are all the more painful and frequent.  There are a number of different methods for getting rid of cold sores, as well as some that people often advocate but which actually are not very effective.

Cold sores be treated easily and quickly, but the underlying virus that causes them is much harder – if not totally impossible – to completely irradiate.  It is also hard to prevent cold sores, but there are many effective and natural ways to treat and get rid of them when they do occur.

What Causes Cold Sores?

Cold sores are ultimately caused by a virus – the herpes simplex virus – which is present in a large number of people and is spread through saliva (kissing or sharing cutlery, for example).

The sores themselves appear from time to time around the mouths of people who are infected with the herpes virus – however, while herpes is very difficult to get rid of, a simple cold sore is not.  There are many remedies for cold sores – both natural and medicinal – which can take effect within a little as a day or two.  Click here to see the most fastest and most effective cold sore remedies that I have researched.

Can They Be Prevented?

Only by avoiding the herpes virus – which is pretty hard to do since it is spread via saliva.  Apart from avoiding kissing anyone who may be infected, there is not a great deal you can do to avoid the virus.

However, most people just get lucky.  The virus is most contagious when the person has a cold sore – at other times is is not very easily spread.  So you can greatly improve your chances of not contracting it by avoiding the saliva of anyone with a cold sore at the moment.

Can Herpes be Cured?

No – but that does not mean you cannot treat and get rid of a cold sore!  While the virus will remain in your body for a long time, cold sores can be effectivly treated and cleared completly away withing a few days.

Find out more about herpes here and here.

Is is Possible to Get rid of a Cold Sore in 24 Hours?

If you start to treat it in the right way right from the first signs of an outbreak, it is possible to cure your cold sore within about a day.

It becomes harder and takes longer to get rid of cold sores that have fully developed, but it remains possible to cure many cold sores within 24-48 hours with the right remedy.

Summary

  1. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus.
  2. Outbreaks of cold sores can be triggered by a poor diet, stress, anxiety and a number of other factors that you can try to avoid.
  3. The herpes virus is spread by saliva - especially when the infected individual has a visible cold sore.
  4. Cold sores can be treated and cured fast if you know what to do, but the herpes virus tends to remain in the body long term
  5. Even for those who are infected with herpes, it is possible to prevent cold sores from occurring frequently – again, with the right remedies.
  6. Click here to find out more about the most effective cold sore remedies.

Cold Sore Remedies That Do Not Work

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There are a variety of different cold sore remedies that are effective, I have written about them more extensively here.  However, there is also a lot of mis-information around about what does and does not cure a cold sore – there are some methods (or so called ‘remedies’) to avoid as they are largely or totally ineffective.  That is what I want to talk about there.

Cold Sore Remedies that Don’t Work

Some home remedies work – and others do not.  There are even some so called ‘treatments’ that actually make cold sores worse – so the best thing to do is be careful and try to avoid anything that sounds either stupid or too good to be true.  And these…

I heard someone once tell me that coffee and chocolate can help heal a cold sore – when in fact the opposite is true, they are high in argine and if anything will make it worse.

Covering a cold sore is good – but be careful what you cover it with.  do not use anything that may agitate the sore.

Keeping it cool is good too, some recommend using a damp cloth with milk in – although I am sure water is just as good, but again, be careful that it is not dirty!  This will make it worse – and could even lead to an infection!

Please also remember to check that any treatments you buy from a chemist or doctor do not contain anything that you are allergic to – this will make your cold sore much, much more visible and painful.

Other things to avoid – at all costs!

While it may seem obvious no to do these things – at least more so than the apparent ‘remedies’ above – the following are a (not comprehensive there are probably more things to avoid) a list of things that will make your cold sore worse.  Much worse – so avoid them like the plague.

Picking, licking or biting

Do not do any of these!  If you have a cold sore, it needs time to heal – irritating it an any way will always make it worse.  If you have only the beginnings of a cold sore and are using one of the treatments that actually work, irritating it by picking or biting it will ruin any attempt to stop it becoming a full on outbreak.  So do not do it!

It may be hard – but it must be avoided.

Various chemicals

It is possible to try too many different remedies at once.  not only will you not be able to effectively work out which one actually works, but all the different chemicals and treatments may interfere with one another and actually make it worse or last for longer.

Try to only attempt one remedy at once – natural or medicinal – otherwise you will not know what forks for the future.

Sun and Stress

Both of these make cold sores worse – so try to stay calm and keep out of direct sunlight, or at least try to protect your cold sore in some way.  There are some good creams for this.

What is the Best Cold Sore Remedy?

There are many different medicinal cures on the market – and some effective natural home cures too.  I have written about these more extensively in other posts – so click here to find out what you can do to get rid of a cold sore fast.

Natural Ways to Heal Cold Sores

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What is the best natural remedy for a cold sore?  That is the question pretty much everyone who has ever suffered from one asks – again and again – perhaps often replacing the word “best” with “fastest” too.

But are there any fast and natural ways to heal a cold sore?  As I have mentioned before, curing the herpes simplex virus which is the highly contagious root cause of cold sores is not easy at all – however, getting a cold sore to heal is much more simple, fast and effective.

The best natural cold sore remedies

The best remedies for cold sores that are natural and fast are often the most simple, as opposed to the so called miracle cures that rarely work at all.

If you are desperate to find a natural cold sore cure fast, give the following a try.

1. Cover it up!  No, not so that people won’t see it – in fact applying make up to the open cold sore can make it worse.  I mean if you cover the cold sore with some petroleum jelly to protect it from the elements and dirt it will help a lot.  This will help protect it from getting dirty and even potentially infected – i.e. worse.

2. Use a (clean) cold compress.  Cooling and soothing the irritation will not only make it less painful, but will help prevent a starting point from turning into a full blown sore.

3. Finally, avoid touching or picking it.  This is simple, but crucial - if you keep touching it, even with your tongue, it will not go away.  Fact.

Some people also recommend using milk instead of water in the cold compress.  I have not tried this, but it may be effective.  If anyone has done this successfully – please post a comment.

There are also a lot of medical products (creams, pills, etc.) that do a good job, and for some people these will be the best answer.  However, as for natural cures, do not look for the miracle ones – the best are often the most simple.

Questions about cold sore remedies

I know a lot of people have questions about this – so I have listed the answers to the most popular questions below.  Please feel free to email me if you have any that I have not answered here – I may be able to help you and it will be good to get more advice on the site!

Is is possible to get rid of a cold sore in 24 hours?

If it is a minor cold sore outbreak and you start to treat it right from the very first signs, then the answer is often yes.

Of course each person’s body is different, but a small cold sore caught early is much easier and faster to remedy than one that has fully developed or is part of a large outbreak.  In either of these cases, it is unlikely to be fully gone in the space of 24 hours – although the remedies above may be able to give some relief and improvement in that time to such problems.

Do natural cold sore remedies work for everyone?

Not always, no.  The ones I have listed above and the ones that are in this very helpful guide (which only costs $24 and may be downloaded immediately) are effetive for about 99% of people though.

Every body is different – but as long as you are human and it is a cold sore that you have, a natural remedy that works for one person should work for another in the same or a similar situation too.

Cold Sore Remedies and Causes: More About Herpes

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As I have explained before, cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus – a virus which remains in the body long after the cold sore has cleared up and can cause it to return at any time.  While the virus is at it’s most contagious while there is an outbreak of cold sores, it can be transferred through saliva to others at any other time too.

The First Step: Prevention

Herpes infections are difficult to prevent – other than to avoid the saliva of infected individuals, which is not always easy (the virus can be spread through sharing utensils and kissing).  Many people carry the virus without any visible signs, and those who do sometimes have outbreaks of cold sores can still spread the virus even when there are no visible sores.  This makes it exceptionally hard to avoid all contact which can lead to an infection.

Even while infected with the herpes virus, you can take steps to prevent cold sores from appearing – or at least make it less likely.  Although the reasons for outbreaks are not always clear, they have been linked to having other viruses (such as a cold or flu), high levels of stress, trauma or injury around the mouth (including chapped lips, for example), weakened immunity and heightened exposure to the sun/ultra-violet radiation.  Avoiding these things can help prevent cold sores from showing up – and if an outbreak begins to appear trying to treat these issues (where possible) may help it clear up faster.

Some research has claimed that Lysine can be used to prevent cold sores, however, the evidence is somewhat inconclusive.  Aside from avoiding close contact with those who are already infected, potentially the best prevention is anti-viral medication.

While prevention is the certainly best treatment, in reality it is not always possible – so one must also be aware of the most effective cold sore remedies and cures too.

Effective Cold Sore Remedies

While permanent cold sore cures are hard to find, there are a lot of effective ways to treat an outbreak.

Using a cold wet compress to ease the pain and clean the sore (some use milk instead of water and claim the results are better) is often effective.  So are antiviral creams.

As I mentioned above, the best treatment is often prevention and even while infected with the herpes virus, it is possible to prevent – or at least make it less likely that you will suffer – an outbreak of cold sores.

There are more ways to treat a cold sore – I have written about them in much more detail here.

Can Cold Sores be Cured?

It is very hard to completely cure and get rid of the virus that causes cold sores – virtually impossible in fact.  However, it is possible to treat them once there (in order to get rid of the sore as soon as possible – which is actually quite easy) and even prevent one from growing once it has started to show up.

Why is it so hard to cure?  Herpes (the virus that causes cold sores) is

In Summary

Cold sores are easy to treat but the herpes virus is hard to permanently cure, which is why a comprehensive and effective guide to preventing and treating cold sores can be so useful.

Cold Sores – What Are They?

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I have written before about the causes, symptoms and potential remedies for cold sores, but want to go into detail more about what cold sores are and what causes them.  If you are simply looking doe cold sore remedies, this post may be of more interest to you.

What Are Cold Sores?

Cold sores are painful blisters that occur around the lips and mouth – often as a result of cracked or injured skin, but they are actually caused by a virus.  Most cold sores are caused by Type 1 Herpes (Type II is less common) and are spread through infected saliva – usually through contact (e.g. kissing) but can be spread by sharing cups, toothbrushes, etc.  The Herpes Simplex virus most contagious when the cold sores are visible, but can still be spread by an infected person even when there are no visible signs of the problem!

Once you have a cold sore, even after it has healed, it is likely to reoccur at some point in the future as the virus remains in the body for a long time.

Is it Possible to Cure Cold Sores?

It certainly is easy to relieve the symptoms – I have written more about how to relive the symptoms of a cold sore here.  Usually a cold compress or dabbing with cold milk will help ease the pain and there are many creams available over the counter at a local chemist.  These can both speed up healing time and ease the symptoms and a re most effective when used immediately the first signs of a cold sore become present.

However, it is much more difficult to permanently cure the virus that causes them.  It is possible, with both medical and home remedies, but does not always work for everyone.

The good news it that they usually only last about a week and clear up without leaving a scar, and the problem is not life threatening (except for those with very weak immune systems and very young children – but even then it is rare.  Find out more about this here.)

Find out more about how to cure cold sores here.  There is also a useful list of treatments to be found on this site.

What Cold Sore Remedies are the Most Effective?

The most important thing to do is to start treating the cold sore as soon as it begins to appear – this will make any treatment, weather home remedies or medical creams, more effective.

Keeping it clean, covered and treating it with a cold compress is the best advice really – but there are some very effective guides to treating cold sores quickly and even getting rid of them permanently online – I have written more about these here.

They are not free, but generally have a very good success rate and are the quickest and most effective natural home remedies available.

Cold Sores – Causes, Symptoms and Remedies

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Cold sores are one of the most common ailments in the world – easy to get, unsightly and can be painful and embarrassing!  Who would ever want to keep one?  That’s why I’m going to look at the most effective cold sore remedies and treatments in this post – as well as the causes (prevention is often said to be the most effective cure… maybe just by those who don’t already have one!) and the symptoms (so we know it’s actually a cold sore you have, not something else).

First of all, let’s get something straight – what is a cold sore?

A cold sore is a small painful blister filled with fluid that occurs around the mouth or lips.  Cold sores are caused by a virus, but can be more common in the cold weather when the skin gets cracked or split – this gives the virus an opportunity to attack.  Also, as cold sores are often not completely killed off by your body’s own immune system, they can reoccur quickly at any time.

It is easy to get a cold sore, but much less easy to get rid of one.  However, both medicinal and natural remedies are available and sore simple than you may think to use effectively.

Causes of Cold Sores

As the name would suggest, one of the things people consider the main causes is the cold weather.  When it’s cold, you can easily get cracked skin around the mouth and lips and sometimes, if you are unlucky, this can develop into a nasty cold sore.  However, a cold sore is really caused by a virus – it is simply more common in the cold weather because the body’s immune system may be weaker and cracked skin presents an opportunity for the virus to develop a sore.

The virus that causes cold sores is the Herpes Simplex Virus – more often than not Type I (Type II is more rare with cold sores).

The virus spreads through contact – e.g. kissing someone with the virus (this can happen even if they do not have any visible signs of the virus, as it is in their saliva).  However, the most contagious period is when the cold sore is visible – so don’t kiss anyone with one of those!

There is a bit more science to it than I have talked about here, but the most important thing to know is that cold sores are caused by the Herpes virus and are spread through saliva – both from contact or (less often) sneezing or spitting, for example.

If, however, it’s too late for this to work, you may be interested in the possible treatments…

Most Effective Cold Sore Remedies

There are a lot of different “remedies” for cold sores – but not all of them work.  A cold compress can help to relieve the pain, but it does nothing to prevent the cold sore from reoccurring.  some used to use Lysine, but there is little evidence to suggest that this works permanently.  Other remedies such as nail polish remover (ouch!), vitamin oils and changes in your diet are not much better.

Recently there have been a lot of home remedy guides available online – I talk more about the best and worst ones here – some are effective, while others are not.  There is a lot of misinformation and conflicting ideas about what actually works with cold sores.

I must also stress that if you are unfortunate enough to get a cold sore, you should speak with your doctor first.  But if you do not find much success with this, here are some home remedies that often (but not always) work.

Covering the cold sore will help a lot – try to avoid using any make up or lipstick while it is there as this may make it worse, but covering it with petroleum jelly has relieve the symptoms and prevent infection.  In the summer, protecting your lips from the sun can help – likewise in the winter protecting them from the cold may also help.

At all times avoid touching it!  Sometimes wt may itch, but scratching and picking will make it much worse.

Soaking a cotton ball with mil and dabbing it on the sore has been effective for some people – this may be something to try out too.

There are more comprehensive cures too – but this post will get too long if I go into detail here.  For more information on the most effective cold sore remedies and treatments click here.