How To Deal With A Cold Sore, According To A Dermatologist
It starts with an itchy, tingly or burning feeling⊠and then the dreaded cold sore arrives. The hallmark of a common virus that potentially impacts 80 percent of the United States, cold sores can appear out of nowhere and look like small blisters, which eventually crust over. You can get them anywhere on your face, although they typically appear around the mouth, and unfortunately they can be unsightly. So, what can you do about them?
âIf youâre in the first five days of having a cold sore, then you can take a medication called valtrexâ explains dermatologist Dr Emma Craythorne, founder of bespoke prescription skincare company Klira. Available on prescription, itâs an antiviral medicine thatâs available in tablet, liquid, ointment or cream form.
If youâre not up for taking tablets, or youâve already passed day five of cold sore hell, then a cream version (other names include aciclovir and Zovirax) can be applied to help take it down. âI would also typically suggest placing a cold sore patch over the cold sore,â says Dr Craythorne, like Mederma’s. âIt does two things: helps it heal a little more quickly because itâs hydrocolloid [meaning itâs breathable and actively helps heal the skin], but it also hides the area, so it doesnât look quite so unsightly.â These patches also reduce the risk of transferring it to someone else, too.
In severe casesâlike if a cold sore has spread over the face, mixed with eczema, or made traveled to a different part of the body, then Dr Craythorne recommends seeing a professional: âWe can either inject aciclovir or, sometimes have to give a steroid to calm down the immune response.â