Sunday, July 5, 2009

All You Need to Know about Cold Sores

By Amanda Rush

Do you wonder why small blisters pop out in your lips and around your mouth? Most probably, you are a host of one type of virus that can cause the blisters or cold sores to appear. Read on and find out what this disease is as well as its treatment and prevention.

Cold sores, which are sometimes called fever blisters, are small blisters that develop on lips and around the mouth. The infected skin becomes swollen, red and sore. The blisters can break open, producing transparent fluid which will scab few days later. The healing process starts two days up to 2 weeks.

Herpes simplex virus is the main cause of cold sores which have two types: HSV-1 and HSV-2. The said virus is also the main culprit that causes genital herpes.

The virus can likely enter the body through a break in skin or inside the mouth. It can transfer to other persons when the infected one comes in contact with others by kissing or touching them or by letting them share with his belongings such as utensils.

Once the viruses find their way inside the body, they quickly develop the first symptoms which include pain on the lips and mouth, fever, sore throat, and swollen glands at various parts of the body. Few days after the blisters develop, they break open, release fluid, scab days later, and are healed after two maximum weeks.

cold sore are not difficult to be determined by any doctor. Most of the time, doctors ask few questions to find out how the virus got into the body. Aside from this simple diagnostic procedure, no complex diagnostic tests will be conducted.

Two weeks is the maximum time before the infected person gets healed. However, the disease brings with it uncomfortable symptoms which can be embarrassing and irritating. To eliminate these symptoms, an infected person can make use of treatments such as skin creams, ointments, and pills which can be bought at any drugstore. Taking these treatments can heal the disease two days faster than taking no treatment at all.

Although there are a number of treatments for cold sores, the virus proves to be difficult to fight off. An infected person will not be healed anymore of the cold sores. What treatments can do is decrease the number of sores or blisters but cannot get rid of virus.

For this reason, it will be wise to take measures that can prevent the virus from getting into the body. To prevent cold sores, you should avoid coming in contact with infected persons by avoiding kissing, sharing utensils, and other items owned by the person. Most of all, boosting the immune system by taking in the most nutritious foods can effectively prevent the viruses from causing harm to the body.

About the Author: