Cold Sores
As the weather starts to warm and we head outside into the sun and wind, some of you may be experiencing cold sores again. Those painful and unsightly blisters are a far from ideal part of warmer weather.
Cold sores or fever blisters result from a virus (herpes simplex 1) which might explain why they are also so common when we are run down or stressed. Our immune system is not as strong when we are feeling pressured and tired allowing the virus to make its sneaky way to the skin surface.
Knowing your triggers is a key part of being able to prevent cold sores. Common triggers include the weather, stress, food, hormones and lack of self-care. But each person has unique triggers so finding yours is important to prevent a breakout.
Despite our best efforts, we may suffer from a breakout here and there. It is important to then understand the five stages of the cold sore so you can treat it properly and prevent sharing it with others.
The five stages are:
The Tingle – the under skin tingle if not itch is a key sign a cold sore is about to erupt. Act now to minimise the outbreak.
Blister – then the fluid filled blister surfaces causing pain, redness and more itching. Important to not spread the virus to others.
Weeping – being highly contagious, this part is when the blister may pop and other blisters may surface. Lymph glands are still raised showing the body is fighting the virus.
Scab – as the blister dries, a scab forms a sure sign that the healing is well underway.
Healing - the skin under the scab still needs to heal and strengthen to prevent scarring.
Treatment for the first 3 stages is quite similar and focuses on rest, immune supporting nutrients and contagion containing creams.
The last two stages work to ensure you don’t get more cold sores or another illness as well as to minimise scarring.
Once you know and understand each of the five stages and what to do, treatment becomes pretty straightforward, easily managed with whole foods, key nutrients available from good health food stores and rest.
However, reoccurring cold sores are sure sign that targeted help is needed to better understand the triggers, increase stress resilience and boost a clearly struggling immune system.