If you are one of the millions of people who get cold sores, then you know how much they hurt, how embarrassing they can be, and how they always seem to pop up at the worst possible time. Cold sores arise from the herpes simplex virus, and once you have been exposed, they can appear at any time, and will continue to for the rest of your life because there is no cure.

Because so many people have been confronted with this problem, medical science has been working hard to come up with an effective treatment. There are a variety of medications and at home treatments that have been discovered to help shorten the duration of a cold sore outbreak. They range from prescription medications to using ingredients found in at home pantries; some of them are effective, and some can actually make the situation worse, so it is a good idea to investigate before you try anything that sounds too strange.

Cold Sore Stages

Although many people look for a magical cure when a cold sore appears, the truth is that there are cold sore stages that cannot be avoided. A cold sore appears after the virus becomes active on the nerves that run under the skin.

The first stage of a cold sore‘s development becomes apparent when this is going on, when you are likely to feel tingling going on under the skin of your lip. Soon after, the sore will appear as a fluid-filled blister that is red and raised. The blister will pop, shed liquid, and then scab over, signaling the return to good health.

People who have dealt with cold sores previously know that there are a couple of things that can  be done to shorten the course of the eruption, but nothing can be done to make it disappear overnight, despite what others may say.

The cold sore is not caused by bacteria or a germ, so treating it with alcohol, acetone or any other antibiotic will not help it. There are anti-viral medications that your doctor can prescribe, including acyclovir, valtrex and famciclovir, which may shorten the amount of time that the lesion is there, but nothing can make it go away without running through all of its stages.

The most beneficial thing that can be done is to contact your physician to get a prescription at the very earliest sign that a cold sore will appear. After that, the best thing you can do is to treat the pain and symptoms that go along with the lesion. For this there are excellent topical treatments such as Benzocaine and lidocaine which will numb the skin.

Quick Home Remedies

If you are not interested in using a doctor-prescribed cold sore medicine, and you have had no luck with using any of the over the counter treatments that are available for the treatment of cold sores, you may want to try any of a number of home remedies for cold sores that people have reported success with.

One popular home treatment is taking large quantities of lysine, an amino acid that has had mixed results in research studies. Many people use tea bags, pressing a wet tea bag against the cold sore lesion in hopes that the tannins in the tea leaves will have a positive effect on the sore.

Ice and heat are also said to provide some relief for the pain and inflammation. It is important to avoid trying to hide the cold sore with make up, as touching the sore can spread the virus, and the ingredients in the makeup can exacerbate the symptoms.

Also, be very cautious with cures that involve touching or piercing the cold sore; opening the sore too early or infiltrating it with germs can cause a secondary infection, which will only make it worse.