What Are the Signs of a Cold Sore?

Cold sores are a pain---difficult to cover up and therefore very embarrassing. Here's what you can look for so you can predict an outbreak.

What Causes Them?

• Adults and children get them, and they're usually harmless. They're triggered by the herpes simplex virus type 1, also known as oral herpes. The virus never leaves your body, and outbreaks tend to recur throughout your life.

The Recurring Process

• The virus uses your nerve cells as a pathway into the ganglion, a cyst formed by the tissue lining your tendon. Then it sits there, latent. When the virus awakes, it moves into your skin, hence cold sores.

The Signs

• Before the physical signs of a cold sore appear, there are warning signs. In herpes infections, the process of being able to predict whether sores will appear is called a prodrome. During a prodrome, you get a tingling and burning feeling hours or days before the actual cold sore appears. They arrive in the form of fever blisters, which eventually dry into scabs. They can take from a few days to two weeks to disappear.

Occurances

• Cold sores can occur when you catch a cold or flu, are under stress, have suffered trauma to the skin, have had changes to your immune system or are exposed to the sun. Sometimes they seem to pop out of nowhere.

Treatment

• Once they appear, you must live with it, for now. Don't stress yourself out by constantly worrying about it. Just start treatment the minute you feel one coming on. Use a lip balm that is designed for cold sores. The minute you feel the tingling burning sensation, apply a small dosage to the area. It may not stop it completely, but it will greatly reduce the size and healing period. Avoid touching the affected area, but, if you must, clean your hands before and after.