Over my years, I've developed a personal practal system to help greatly reduce the visible signs and healing time of a cold sore. ( after blister )
I wish I had this knowledge when I was 15. ( I was much more self-consious about things then! )
I am very frustrated at the lack of practical post-blister information available on the internet.
Almost all coldsore websites simply state something like "...a blister, then scab, will form and last for about 10-12 days..." without any other useful information to help get through the tough 1-2 weeks of blister/scab! :(
So I've come here to describe what I do, and hope to get feedback.
If you have any feedback please don't hesitate to comment. Thanks!
Intro
First, I find I get them when very stressed. ( lots of work, or minimal sleep due to travel etc... )
And also when it is very sunny. I have only lately realized this, so am now constantly putting uv protecting lip gloss on when outside in sun.
Second, I must state that the point of this system is to reduce the visible signs of the cold sore as much as possible. It also seems to reduce the healing time too. But reducing visible signs is the top priority.
Because with cold sores, life goes on. And the visible symptom of the cold sore (as opposed to the pain) is the most crippling I find.
Things needed. ( keep these on / close to you for the whole 8 day process )
- Zovirax
- A very good / sharp / precise pair of tweezers.
Day 1) [ START OF PHASE 1 ]
I start getting an itch in an area on my lip. (usually the same place, but not always)
I immediately start applying zovirax to the area.
Although they claim the cold sore can be prevented at this stage, I have never had it happen to me. It always develops once I feel the itch, no matter how quick I am to get the Zovirax on. : ( oh well....
NOTE: always keep hands clean when dealing with the cold sore. You do not ever want it to get infected!
Day 2)
The itch is now a throb, and I can start to see lumps developing in the area.
I readily apply Zovirax as it reduces the pain of the area. (and hopefully reduces the infection maybe?)
It says to apply once every 3 hours. But this cannot happen when sleeping.
So before I got to sleep, I apply/rub some zovirax into the area. Then I also dab some on top of the lumps but do not rub it in, leaving a layer of white zovirax on top. This helps reduce the pain over the night, as zovirax is in constant contact with the cold sore all night.
Carefully wash zovirax layer off in morning in shower.
Day 3)
The cold sore is still throbbing. It is very visible. The lumps appear white. People can notice it now.
This is a hard day to get through. I keep applying zovirax, and at night time too (as described in day 2).
( right now it feels like Zovirax is doing nothing.... )
Day 4) [ START OF PHASE 2 ]
The throbbing has stopped. The scab is starting to appear.
Here we move onto a different style of dealing with the cold sore. Phase 2.
The scab itself is almost skin colour. And is therefore not very noticeable. ( I find less noticeable than day 3)
We know healing is happening below the scab. So the goal of Phase2 is to keep the scab as un-noticeable as possible for as long as possible.
Here is a summary of phase 2 as bullet points.
- Apply zovirax, but not on the scab. only on the flesh areas around the scab.
There are multiple reasons for not applying to the scab.
First and most important, you risk getting zovirax under/inside the scab. Where it will remain as a white mark for the lifetime of the scab. This is very noticeable and is top priority NOT TO DO
Second is I'm not convinced that the zovirax will penetrate the scab?
Third is I'm not convinced zovirax can do anything at this point to the scabbed area. But it can stop it from spreading further out from the area. (maybe?)
- Keep the area as dry as possible.
This is another very top priority. Wetting the scab ( and the resulting drying out ), will cause the scab to start to flake and peel away from the skin. This is _very_ noticeable, and is therefore something we DO NOT WANT TO HAPPEN.
So when showering, keep your face away from the water. Also keep some toilet paper close by so if by chance it does get wet, you can grab some toilet paper and lightly dab onto the cold sore to pull off the water.
( tip: If scab is on lower lip, you can push your upper lip over the lower lip to shield it from water. )
Wash your face by hand in the basin after the shower, ensuring no water touches the cold sore.
- Keep the coldsore safe and away from harm. Prevent stretching / cracking of scab
Refrain from any sports where the cold sore could get bumped.
Also refrain from eating food which will cause you to open your mouth wide. ( eg burger, sandwich )
If you do need to eat (eg) a burger, try cutting it up into little pieces and eating it with a knife and fork, so you don't need to open your mouth wide.
PHASE 2 IS A VERY IMPORTANT PHASE
It is dedicated to keeping the scab safe, crack free, and dry.
This will keep it as un-noticeable as possible, for as long as possible.
WE DO NOT WANT IT TO CRACK OR BLEED. If this happens then the whole system will not work. The scabbing blood will make it very noticeable for up to 2 weeks.
Day 5-7)
Try your best to keep the scab safe. It will start itching more and more. And will also slowly start to become more visible. This is a very important few days. If it cracks or bleeds then we're in trouble.
It will also be hard to not accidently scratch it with your fingers ( when not paying attention ) due to the itchiness.
It is also a hard time as people will start to notice it more and more.
But the longer this stage can go for, the faster things will heal.
Some dry skin will start to appear around ( or sometimes on ) the scab. this will be noticeable.
Very carefully remove with the tweezers. Take great care not to hurt or crack the scab.
If in doubt, don't remove the dry skin. TOP PRIORITY IS TO NOT CAUSE BLEEDING.
You may choose to keep away from social situations during this stage (if possible).
Remember, even if the scab does look very ugly. A scab with crusted blood around it will look worse.
It’s usually only the last day or two where things really look noticeable.
End of Day 7)
Ok. Now comes the time to remove the scab.
The time chosen to remove the scab is up to you. Usually I have some social thing ( eg a party or dinner to attend ), which governs when this time will be. But if you have no pressing social date, then about 4 days in phase 2 will be enough.
But it is also important not to cut the phase too short. If bleeding occurs when removing the scab, then we're screwed. ( see comment at end of day 4 )
So be as patient as you can.
Oh, and you want to do this at least 12 hours before you intend to go out. In case it bleeds or something happens, you have (some) time for healing.
ok. So here we go. You have been doing a great job keeping it dry. Now is the time to get it wet.
Very wet. Take a shower for about 25 minutes, keeping your face under the water stream as much as possible.
Getting the scab as wet as possible.
The scab will turn from a yellow colour to very white, swollen and soft.
Once at this point, go the mirror and start removing it gently.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE WHOLE TECHNIQUE. Be sure to take your time, and be _very_ cautious/gentle. And make sure you have at least 2 hours free, in case some bleeding occurs.
Do not try and remove the whole scab at once. Slowly remove piece by piece. and not too deep down into the wound. Only the top hard shell is what we're removing. The tissue under the scab is healing tissue, and may cause bleeding ( or reddening ) if removed.
This is very stressful and hard. I usually take about 30 minutes to do this. And constantly keep wetting the cold sore again as it will dry out in the process.
Once the top shell is removed, then let the area slowly dry out. You will start to see loose skin / tissue showing up as the drying occurs. You may choose to remove ( or not to remove ) them as they appear. Only remove if they're not connected too deeply to the healing wound underneath.
If too much healing tissue is removed, you risk exposing too much open wound and a second scab will form. Try to leave all healing tissue over the wound. The main point of this is to only remove the hard crust shell.
The white swollen tissue will turn back into skin when it dries out.
Be cautious when drying out. If you dab toilet paper to the area, the swollen tissue may stick to the paper and pull off. Better to dry out over time under a heat lamp, or some kind of air heater. ( or just sun/air )
If you have got thought this part without bleeding, WELL DONE. You're over the worst of it.
Day 8 [ START OF PHASE 3 ]
With the scab removed and the wound almost entirely healed. The worst you will see is a slight reddening on the area. And some flaky dry skin will show up now and then.
Carefully remove the dry skin flakes with your tweezers. Be very careful not to cause bleeding. It is better to live with a bit of flaky skin than to have it bleed. ( So lean on the side of caution )
This usually continues for about 3 days.
Keep applying Zovirax to the area over this time, as it is still infectious.
Also be careful to not share drinks or do anything else you wouldn't do with a coldsore.
You should be able to live your everyday life again. Eating whatever. And the area will be hardly noticeable. And even if people do notice it they won't immediately think cold-sore. They'll just think it’s some kind of blemish.
Be happy, your cold sore is now effectively (visibly) over. in 7-8 days! : )
And with only really day 3 and 7 where people could notice much at all.
If you have any feedback please don't hesitate to comment.
Thanks!
UPDATE:
- I'm from New Zealand. Since writing this blog a new product has come to market. "Famvir Once", it is a 1-time consumption of 3 pills (all at once). It contains powerful anti-viral ingredients which pretty much kill any further activity of the cold-sore virus. If I take these at tingle stage then my coldsore only amounts to some minor swelling and skin-flakes (2-3 days max) with only the swelling at stage 1 being visible to others. Even if taken after the blister is starting to form it'll lessen the impact of the coldsore. I fully recommend this product, it has revolutionized the way I approach coldsores. I have a packet at home, and another at work for quick access.
http://www.onlinepharmacy.co.nz/product/890/Famvir_Once_Famciclovir_Cold_Sore_Treatment.html
