My nephew is very vain and gets cold sores about once a month or so. He despises them. He is a mailman, to boot, so he doubly despises having to go to work with them. He also maintains that if one has a cold sore one should never even think of stepping into a place where socialization takes place (such as a bar, restaurant, etc.) until it’s completely gone.
I get them and yes, if it’s completely in its gross hideous stage I do try to stay out of the public’s way. But if it’s in its healing stages, I will go out, though knowing I won’t be kissing anyone (because they probably wouldn’t want to and/or because it’s contagious).
What say you? Both those who get them and those who don’t.
Also, do you think of them as common or more as the plague as he does?
I get a few cold sores a year. If it bothers people, tough for them. I make absolutely no efforts to hide myself away from civilization for the few days it takes to heal.
I have had cold sores for as long as I can remember. I get them on my upper lip and inside my nose. When I get a lot of them at once, I feel sick, like I have the flu or something, achy bones, sore eyes, it’s not just the ugly sores on my face. I don’t blame your nephew for not wanting to go out anywhere when he has one.
I’ve been using Zovirax cream for them for a long time, which helps take the sting of the sore away, minimizes the growth of the cold sore and speeds recovery.
I came across a remedy that works for me about a year ago on the internet. When I feel that itchy stingy feeling on my face, when a cold sore is going to erupt, I take about 6 or 8 acidophilus tablets with a glass of milk. That’s it. It shuts the things down for me, and I don’t even get the cold sore at all. No idea why it works, but I’ve done it about 4 times and it’s worked each time. YMMV, IANAD jeepus
Abreva pretty much stops them in their tracks for me. I always feel like hiding but since I can’t do that I just pretend I’m beautiful anyway and hold my head up. And use Abreva.
They’re kinda gross. I’ve never had one and I intend to keep it that way. I would never expect someone to lock themselves away or stay home from work because of it, just don’t rub it on me, yanno? If I did get them, I would talk to my doctor and take whatever Rx meds there might be for it, and take Lysine as a supplement, and I think I’ve heard about using Lysine as a topical at times of breakouts as well. I don’t really remember stuff that I don’t need to, though, so that may not be a correct memory.
Cold sore every month sounds weird and points to some underlying health issues IMHO - seems like you’d have to be run down on a pretty constant basis for this to happen, is being a mailman that stressful?
I get them but it must be like 1 or 2 a year so it’s not something to get bothered about. If you were having them constantly I could see how it might psychologically grow into a very big deal.
The zovirax cream never works for me, although I know some folk swear by it. If I get one I just use the over-the-counter phenolic creams you can get that dry them out, usually clears them up pretty quickly.
If you are getting them monthly, consider taking acyclovir daily. You’d probably never get one again, or it would be so minor you’d barely notice. Another option is keep the acyclovir handy so you can take at the first sign of one.
I consider them a minor inconvenience. I don’t like to spread them, obviously, so I’m careful if I have an outbreak. My kids all know to ask if they can share daddy’s food or drink, for instance.
Count me up as another one who uses Abreva. If I get it on early, it’s likely a 2-3 day event, tops, and the sore never really takes off.
If he’s a mailman and frequently outdoors, he may want to make sure he’s using some UV lip protection. Besides compromised immune systems, apparently UV light can influence outbreaks. Anecdotal, but since I started using Chapstick with UV protection when I’m in the yard or out for a run, my outbreaks have been cut down to 1 or 2 a year, max.
Yes, when I had to be out in the sun all day, I would use a white stick (some kind of zinc oxide) as a barrier and that seemed to help. Otherwise one would break out within a couple of days.
I still get somewhat down when I get a serious cold sore but for the most part I just Abreva it, burst and alcohol the blistery parts, and carry on as if it’s not there. I figure if I don’t act self-conscious it’s easier for others to look past it as if it’s nothing.
SeaDragonTattoo, what is your plan for never getting a cold sore?
I get them, but have recently reduced the frequency greatly. How: Lip balm with an SPF factor. I, like your nephew, spend a lot of time outside in the Sun. I heard that sunlight plus chapped lips can cause a bout out cold sores. Seems to be true in my case as since I’ve started putting on lip balm with a sun protection factor very frequently, they’ve all but gone way.
Also at the first twinge, I put on Abreva. Expensive but it seems to reduce the outbreak time.
I used to get them a few times a year when I was young - probably until I was in my late teens. I was deperate to never have them come on in the first place, and I think my doctor at the time suggested taking OTC L-Lysine tablets. I took them for a while and I think it had an effect as the outbreaks were not as often or severe. I stopped taking it in my ealy 20s. However, I caution not to give Lysine all the credit, as I suspect my getting older also affected the frequency. My mother had them as well, but less frequently as she aged as well.
Now I only get them when my face has been exposed to high winds in cold conditions, or after a severe fever (altho not all the time), or when I get a cold and runny nose, or after sunburn (which I try to avoid). Usually on my upper lip, but sometimes in the nose. A real pain when I had a full beard, but at least it was mostly hidden.
In 7th grade I had the whole class pointing and laughing at me, including the teacher. I credit cold sores for teaching me to crave solitude when I was a kid.
Just keep on doing what I’ve been doing, I guess. Wash my hands around people having a breakout, avoid sharing anything that could spread it from them to me, and certainly no kissing of any kind. I suppose I could be one of those asymptomatic carriers, since it’s so common and the percentage of exposure only goes up with age. I don’t know which is more likely, never having symptoms or just not having herpes.
I did have a case of impetigo when I was a kid, just in time for school pictures. It went from my upper lip, up to my left nostril, and there’s no way to cover or disguise it. Mom made me get the pics anyway.
You know what causes mine? Thinking or talking about them. I have one trying to come on now. Unfortunately, all I have is Carmex. Haven’t given Abreva a big chance. And also unfortunately, mine haven’t gone away with age at all. I’ve had to have too many uncomfortable conversations with guys when Ive attempted to date.
Given all the comments about lysine and Abreva, I’m fairly certain we’re all talking about herpes, more commonly known as cold sores. (Mouth ulcers are aka “cancer sores”, and while I do see people confusing canker sores and cold sores in many discussions, the distinction is still inevitably brought up and usage corrected, so I don’t think I’ll yet accept that the terms used interchangeably. Incorrectly, yes, but not interchangeably.)
I don’t want anyone to sequester themselves with a cold sore, but I do see his point. They’re ugly, and if you’re talking about purely optional recreational activities like going to a bar - which is where you want to be attractive, and also has a pretty great environment for spreading the virus - I wouldn’t waste a whole lot of energy pushing him to go if he doesn’t want to. Now, if he’s showing signs of depression and avoiding activities he enjoys because of that, then that’s a different story.
If you’ve got cold sores that don’t respond well to antivirals, or you just want to try something else, Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) is a great little herb. With use of the essential oil topically, “plaque formation was significantly reduced by 98.8% for HSV-1 and 97.2% for HSV-2”. The essential oil is really expensive and hard to find (and commonly counterfeited or adulterated) though. Other studies also show promising results with the tincture (“hydroalcoholic extract,” they’re calling it) and tea (“aqueous extract”), and anecdotally I’ve seen great results with a poultice of the fresh leaf used topically.
This is what DH and I do, it’s just part of the daily regimen. He used to get a lot of cold sores, and this has almost completely prevented them. When he feels the prodromal tingle, he takes extra (acyclovir has an insanely high LD50, IIRC).
If your nephew is in Canada he can get it OTC. In the States it’s a cheap Rx. Not sure about other countries.