What causes cold sores for you? What is the one big trigger that causes these painful and embarrassing cold sores in your life? You do not realize it now, but in the next few moments you will learn exactly what causes your cold sores and what you can do right now to eliminate them.Everyone is different and each cold sore event unique. But for the vast majority of us cold sore victims, what causes cold sores is quite similar.
First, let us not forget that the root cause of all cold sores is the herpes simplex virus. There are eight known types of herpes, two of which have been identified as causing cold sores. These are herpes simplex type 1 or type 2. Nearly everyone in the world carries these highly contagious viruses. Normally, this virus is dormant. Should it become active, it will begin the replication process on your lip or nose. This is basically what causes all cold sores.
Cold sore treatments are a great interest for all of us. We are all looking for that magical cure that will free us from this virus that continues to show up when we need the least. Cold sore treatments are essentially categorized into two broad groups, over-the-counter (OTC) medications and home remedies for cold sore. We will look at OTC medications as well as home remedies for cold sores available for our use. But first lets have a look at what happens when you get a cold sore. Cold sore are caused by the herpes simplex virus. They are sometimes called fever blisters, and are groups of small blisters on the lip and around the mouth. Cold sores do not usually occur inside the mouth except during the initial episode. The blisters usually rupture soon after they have formed, resulting in a shallow reddish ulceration whose surface becomes gray, and most often occur on the lips which distinguishes them from the common canker sore which is usually inside the mouth.
Cold sores, although a virus that you will carry for life, are generally not serious, but the infection could be life threating to someone that has AIDS, or whose immune system is depressed by other disorders or medications. Cold sores represent a common problem for many individuals, and appear 3-10 days after exposure and may last up to 3 weeks, but generally only 7-10 days. They s are often feel unsightly to the owner. They will usually stick around for a week or two before they dry up and go away. Cold sore symptoms are quickly relieved , and are spread by physical contact with an infected person. So what treatments are there?
Well as you might well guess with such a common condition, there are a lot of treatments available, here we will just look at a couple, one chemical and one natural for both cure and pain relief. Acyclovir is in a class of antiviral medications called synthetic nucleoside analogues. It works by stopping the spread of the herpes virus in the body. Acyclovir and a newer drug calledpenciclovir might reduce the pain and help the sores go away faster. However, research indicates that most remedies, even the expensive antiviral ones, make little difference to the course of the condition.
