How to Get Rid of a Cold Sore

Overview

If you're one of 50 to 80 percent of adults in the U.S. infected with the herpes simplex 1 virus (HSV-1), you've most likely had at least one cold sore--a water blister or cluster of blisters that generally erupts in a noticeable area of your face, where the dry and wet parts of your lips intersect. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill notes that children under the age of 4 experience their first initial infection after they contract HSV-1 through a friendly kiss from a family member or other face-to-face contact. But after the first cold sore goes away, HSV-1 continues to reside in the trigeminal ganglion at the top of the spine closest to the face, where it lays dormant until something causes it to reactivate. Between 20 to 40 percent of people with HSV-1 experience subsequent cold sores.

Step 1

Don't pick at the cold sore or squeeze or pop the watery blisters. Mayo Clinic experts caution that the risk of infection to others is from the time lesions first appear until they've scabbed over--and even for some time afterward. Touching cold sores with your fingers and then touching other parts of your body, especially your genitals or other parts of your face, can cause the virus to spread. Always wash your hands well if you touch your cold sore.

Step 2

Keep the cold sore clean. Washing the cold sore with an antiseptic soap can prevent HSV-1 from spreading to other areas of the skin.

Step 3

Use over-the-counter topical treatments to prevent pain and itching. Selecting products with anesthetic properties, such as those that contain benzocaine or those with camphor, phenol or menthol. However, as of 2009, there's only one drugstore product, Abreva, that carries the U.S. Food & Drug Administration seal of approval for healing cold sores faster.

Step 4

Contact your health care provider if you suffer frequent cold sores, if cold sores are severe or if the infection spreads to other parts of your body, particularly the eye area. Most cold sores go away on their own between 7 and 10 days without the need for a doctor's intervention.

Step 5

Use prescription oral and topical antivirals to expedite the healing process. The American Social Health Association (ASHA) notes that studies indicate that one antiviral drug, valacyclovir, which goes by the trade name of Valtrex, has been proven to treat cold sores effectively when taken twice daily for only 1 day at the first sign of symptoms.