How do you get rid of coldsores?

[Richie]

I recently got a coldsore and its hideous, does anyone know how i can get rid of it?






Cheers,
Richie.

[RandomManJay]

Zovirax Or just leave it until it eventually goes away on its own. If it dries up and cracks, you should wipe away any blood that comes out as it can spread it.

[Catzsy]

Well its a very old fashioned thing suggested to me by my gran. Its called TCP and you can get it from the chemists/supermarket. Stings a bit but really clears them up. I get them sometimes.

[StefanWolves]

Take the head off of it and rub Vodka on it, may sting, but it works.

[LoveToStack]

They go away by themselves after a few days, Zovirax does actually work though if you start applying it as soon as you feel the tingling. Its a virus, the same virus infact as herpes but one strain gives you cold sores and the other gives you genital herpes. They do have a tendancy to recur however but it doesn't mean you'll be getting new ones every other day, just means there's no quick fix cure to stop them coming back. Also don't pick it when it scabs.

[Richie]

They go away by themselves after a few days, Zovirax does actually work though if you start applying it as soon as you feel the tingling. Its a virus, the same virus infact as herpes but one strain gives you cold sores and the other gives you genital herpes. They do have a tendancy to recur however but it doesn't mean you'll be getting new ones every other day, just means there's no quick fix cure to stop them coming back. Also don't pick it when it scabs.

Thanks everyone +Rep to those i can and it has scabbed should i just leave it?

[Catzsy]

Thanks everyone +Rep to those i can and it has scabbed should i just leave it?

Yes I think so - it will just dry up and then the scab will fall off and it will heal.

[Richie]

Yes I think so - it will just dry up and then the scab will fall off and it will heal.

Alright thanks!

[Toughened]

I suffered with these terribly since I was about 5.

If you're talking about how huge and hideous it is I guess people don't understand how big they really can get unless you get them yourself. I know you can get little ones, but the ones I get can go huge. Have you seen that advert for the coldsore plaster (Compeed) and it's tiny. No way would it fit on some of the ones I get.

From experience to stop them getting so big, you need to catch them as soon as you feel the tingle. If you're not sure, it's best to put zovirax cream on just to be on the safe side. It will still develop, but not to the extent it can go.

While you have one, and it's huge (I've had one stretch right across my bottom lip, and I couldn't eat or talk properly. I had to drink through a straw. Was horrible), the best thing you can do is keep applying cream. I hate the feeling of touching it especially in the first stages of it developing but it has to be done.

Oh and one final thing, don't do what the others said and pick the scab. That is a big no. I used to do that in the hope that it would look better and go faster. Now I have this permanent scar on the corner of my bottom lip. Pretty noticeable too. Leave it until the scab actually does fall off. It will fall off in time, generally takes a week and a half to two weeks, but in the long run it's better.

Sorry for the big paragraphs but it's just I've suffered with these for most of my life, and most people don't understand how really ugly and huge they can become (my friends are used to it now but at the beginning of secondary school when they first seen them they were like "ewwwww what's that". Not good for your confidence so I used to put a plaster over it). So again sorry for the huge amount of writing.

Hope I've helped.

[VelvetClover]

Use some coldsore cream.

Coldsores come from the herpes virus so I think you can never actually get rid of them, they'll keep recurring.