7 Proven Practices to Lessen Cold Sore Swellings Quickly
7 Proven Practices to Lessen Cold Sore Swellings Quickly
No one would want an embarrassing face, lips, or uncomfortable mouth affected by cold sore blisters. Besides, cold sores are painful when they start coming up as red spots. The affected surfaces often become puffy, tingling, and itchy as the blisters gather moistures. Within a few days, the affected surfaces will spread and become more apparently embarrassing.
For those who are not familiar with the condition, cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. It is transmittable through touch, such as kissing someone who already has active cold sores in mouth. Once infected, the virus will choose a host cell and hide inside. With time, the nerves containing the cell will suffer as the virus replicates sporadically.
With an increased number of viruses, affected spots will swell, and more surfaces will be affected as they move around the body. If you have ever had to deal with cold sores, you will understand how itchy and painful the core sores swelling can be. The temptation to prick yourself can even set in. However, such a method is harmful as it can result in more cold sore infections and transmission to other hosts – so what can you do? Below are the top seven practices to lessen cold sore swelling within a short period.
1. Keep a dry and clean body
Considering that cold sores love moisturized and dirty spots to replicates and thrive, ensuring that your body surface stays dry and neat will come in handy. Thus, you should wash the affected areas with a cold sore regularly and keep it free of water to reduce the swelling.
2. Use a new toothbrush
If you ever notice the emergence of cold sores in mouth, it is highly recommendable to change your toothbrush. The reason is that toothbrush aids the herpes virus as it serves as a point of incubation. Thus, if you manage to remedy the situation, you can immediately get affected again by using the same brush. Besides, several studies affirmed that patients who change their toothbrushes were less susceptible to cold sore conditions after their first experience healed.
3. Change your toothpaste tubes
Besides your toothbrush, changing your toothpaste tubes is necessary to eliminate the herpes cold sores virus. If the virus manages to hang around your brush, it can also manage to get onto the toothpaste tube and incubate there for a while. Thus, you should change your toothpaste tubes. Alternatively, refrain from putting your toothpaste bristles close to the toothpaste tube’s opening.
4. Put your toothbrush in a dry place
As mentioned earlier, the herpes simplex virus loves moisturized spots. Thus, by putting your toothbrush in a spot where there are water droplets, you are likely to experience cold sores swelling again or for a prolonged period. For this reason, you should use your toothbrush outside the bathroom, then wash before and after use. Store in a cool, dry place.
5. Use petroleum jelly
Another practice to speed up your recovery from cold sores is the application of petroleum jelly. Get a cotton ball, touch the petroleum jelly and apply on the cold sores spot. Once you are done, ensure that you throw away the cotton ball or cotton swab.
6. Consider using zinc
Studies have shown that cold sores swelling reduces when zinc is applied. Thus, visit your health food store or local pharmacy to get zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate. Apply the content once you feel a tingling sensation that characterizes cold sore swelling.
7. Get amino acid lysine
Here is another recommendable compound for healing cold sore symptoms. If you can, get three thousand milligrams of lysine into your diet. Some good sources include a drink or eating potatoes. Also, some dairy products contain enough amount of amino acid lysine to heal cold sore swelling.
Bear in mind that lysine can affect infant growth and development. Hence, the expecting mothers should use other cold sore remedies. Also, for those who can consume a diet with abundant lysine, ensure that it doesn’t contain arginine as the compounds help herpes simplex virus to replicate. Some examples of an arginine-rich diet include peanuts, grains, cashews, chocolates, beer, etc.
Lessen cold sores, a Conclusion
And there you have the top seven practices to lessen cold sore swelling. Within a few weeks, the cold sore herpes should disappear. If the problem persists, ensure that you reach out to your medical personnel. Better still, you can combine the practices with the recommendations from your medical doctor. Also, it is strongly advised to reach out for help as soon as you notice the cold sore swelling, itching, or red spots – the earlier you treat the infection, the faster you’ll get rid of it.
