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Cold Sores - Amazing Facts About Your Cold Sore Outbreaks
Cold sores are oral herpes sores caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2 in its process of creating new virus clones. Type 1 is responsible for about 80% of cold sore events on the face, while type 2 causes only about 20% of the sores.
It really doesn't matter which type is the cause of your cold sore because they are identical in every way. They both feel and act the same.
Great news - cold sores do not spread internally. They can only infect another spot on your body, or be passed on to someone else by direct contact with the herpes simplex virus.
Cold sores will re-occur in the same location as near where the virus first entered your body. If your cold sore appears on your lower left lip, this is where you were infected.
If, too, you also get a cold sore on your lower right lip, it means that you have a second infection site. This can be caused by spreading the virus from the first site or from being infected again by someone else.
Careless handling and treatment of cold sores can result in multiple cold sore target sites. Each one is independent of the other sites can occur accordingly.
Each one is considered a family living in the group of nerve fibers that it has chosen when first introduced to that part of your body.
Cold sores seldom occur inside the mouth or nasal cavity. But they can and do occur in other places besides lips and nose- such as cheeks, eyes and even finger tips. Anywhere the virus can get through the skin, it will infect.
Finger tip cold sores are rare but very real - and especially painful. Cold sores spread to the eyes usually cause some permanent damage to the cornea.
Let's take a look at how the herpes simplex virus causes cold sores.
As mentioned earlier, the herpes virus that causes cold sores, fever blisters and oral herpes lives in the nerve fibers. Normal the virus is dormant and can remain this way for months, years or a lifetime.
Each time a cold sore occurs, your body builds new anti-bodies designed to fight the herpes virus. These anti-bodies normally will surround and help keep the herpes virus imprisoned (dormant).
One common trigger for activating the cold sore virus is stress. This causes a drop in your pH balance and puts a drain on your immune system function - weakening the cold sore anti-bodies.
If and when the herpes virus becomes active, its sole purpose is to get to the surface, enter the nerve cells there, and force them to create new herpes virus clones. In so doing, it destroys millions of healthy cells and creates the open cold sore ulcer.
The open cold sore would be painful enough by itself. But it is even more so because the herpes virus creates the cold sore right on the end of that nerve fiber. The pain is quite similar to an exposed nerve on a tooth.
Most people are infected with the oral herpes cold sores by kissing or sharing an object such as a water bottle.
Doting relatives and friends usually infect children before they are ten years old.
Remember, you are considered contagious from the first itching symptom until about two days after complete healing and the redness is completely gone. This can be up to four weeks.
Your body will naturally get rid of cold sores without any special help from you, but it often takes three to four weeks. You don't want to be socially inactive any longer than need be.
The good news is there are many over-the-counter and home remedies for cold sores. Your quickest way to get rid of cold sores is using topical treatments - salves or ointments that fight the virus and speed healing.
There are some prescription pills that are available but these are slow acting at best, and are very hard on the liver. You don't need these expensive treatments that can cause bigger problems down the line.
For the most part, oral remedies from the drug companies have been dismal failures.
Many of the over-the-counter remedies are great for comfort as many of them contain oils and numbing agents such as benzocaine or lidocaine. You will feel much better with these, but they have not proven to heal your cold sore any faster.
Still some of the best cold sore treatment options are the many cold sore home remedies provided by nature.
A quick list of cold sore treatment ideas worth researching further are lysine, tea bags, calcium, B vitamins, olive oil and aloe vera. And of course, the all time proven remedy is simply ice.
Cold sores do not have to be a burden for you once you understand the enemy and develop your personal plan to get rid of cold sores and all the cold sore misery that comes with it.
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