If you have questions about cold sores, read this short article now. You will quickly see what cold sores are and what damage they can do to you.
WHAT ARE COLD SORES?
Cold sores always seem to appear at the worst time. A cold sore is painful and embarrassing, and it definitely hurts your social life.
Whether you call them cold sores, fever blisters or oral herpes, they are all the same infection. Cold sores can appear anywhere the virus can get through your skin. The lip area is usually the first infection site.
The herpes simplex virus is the parasite virus that causes cold sores. A cold sore is actually the side effect of the herpes replication process.
When this virus first infects you, it will choose a nerve set nearest its entry point. It will reside in that nerve for life. All cold sores caused by this virus family will be in the same location every time – on the end of that nerve.
WHAT CAUSES COLD SORES?
Most of the time this herpes virus will sleep in the root cells of its home nerve. If it becomes active, it will wiggle to the surface through the nerve and drill into your surface nerve cells.
Herpes virus cannot reproduce on its own – like bacteria does. It is the host cells that create the new virus particles. The virus will enter your surface nerve cells and force them to build virus clones.
As the cells fill up they balloon causing visible swelling of the cold sore site. The control virus will destroy the cell when it is full or exhausted. This will spill out hoards of new herpes virus.
When the herpes virus annihilates many cells, you end up with an open wound called a cold sore. Painful they are because you now have exposed nerve endings.
ARE COLD SORES VERY CONTAGIOUS?
The herpes simplex virus is a tiny, sub-microscopic particle. It enters the body through contact with your soft tissue – like lips. If you have a skin crack, it will enter there too. You are very contagious during the entire event.
Kissing is the most common way to infect others. Contaminated fingers can cause new cold sore sites on you and others too. Please be very cautious. Sterilize the wound and your hands constantly.
It is possible to get cold sores anywhere on your body where the virus can get through to the soft tissue. Finger sores, arm sores and cheek sores do occur – mostly by carelessness with contaminated fingers and a crack in the skin.
Watch out for your eyes. People do get cold sores in the eyes and it can cause permanent damage.
Nearly 90% of folks on earth carry the herpes simplex virus. The majority of these people will get a sore at least once a year – and usually a lot more.
HOW CAN I GET RID OF MY COLD SORES?
Stress activates the herpes simplex virus. It is probably the number one cold sore trigger. Stress makes your body acid because of hormonal changes. This acid environment encourages herpes virus replication.
Your body needs no help from you to heal oral herpes cold sores. But it is a slow process, often taking up to four weeks. You can cut this healing time in half with a good cold sore treatment.
Natural home cold sore treatment methods are still your best choice. They give much greater success than the prescription drugs and store-bought remedies and will save you money.
Garlic, lysine and the healing mineral zinc are three of several great cold sore treatment plans currently in use. Use all three topically, but lysine and zinc will do their best work if taken internally with supplements.
It is critical for you to keep sterilizing the cold sore area with alcohol or peroxide – using cotton balls or tissues.
Oral herpes cold sores definitely put your social and private life on hold. Hopefully, with the information above, you are now better able to cope with those cold sore attacks.
You need to try different cold sore treatment methods to discover the best one for you. Then you too can be cold sore free for the rest of your life.
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