How to Get Rid of a Cold Sore Quickly

Cold sores can be a major annoyance. Not only do they look bad and feel irritating, but they can often carry an unwanted social stigma that affects everything from your professional life to your dating prospects.

Luckily, cold sores are fairly easy to control. Most of the time, they’ll heal on their own in seven to 14 days. However, if you’d like to get rid of a cold sore faster than this, there are a variety of tools you can use to speed up the healing process.

Below, we’ve listed the most effective ways to get rid of a cold sore, as well as the reason cold sores occur in the first place.

Why and How Cold Sores Develop

Before we get into the best ways to get rid of a cold sore quickly, let’s look at how cold sores can develop in the first place.

Cold sores are a symptom of the herpes simplex virus (or HSV-1), which is better known simply as oral herpes. Oral herpes is extremely common, with most studies estimating that from 50% to 70% of the global population is infected.

Herpes spreads through kissing, oral sex and sharing cups and utensils, which is one reason it’s common for cold sores to carry a bit of a stigma, from a dating perspective.

While HSV-1 is extremely common and highly contagious, many people never experience any cold sores. On average, about 30% of people that have HSV-1 will get cold sores, usually once or twice a year.

When we talk about “cold sores,” what we’re really talking about is a cold sore breakout. This is when the HSV-1 virus becomes active after staying dormant in the body, causing open sores to develop.

Cold sores usually develop on your lips, but they can also form on your gums, your tongue and on the roof of your mouth.

Normally, cold sore breakouts are triggered by a specific event or condition, such as stress or illness. The most common reasons for cold sore breakouts are:

Illness, such as flu and/or fever
Fatigue, exhaustion or tiredness
Excessive levels of stress or anxiety
A weak or compromised immune system
Damage to the skin, such as a scratch, rash or burn
Hormonal changes or imbalances, such as those that occur during menstruation

Not everyone is affected by cold sores, meaning you might never experience a outbreak even if you have the HSV-1 virus. Many people also become more immune to cold sore outbreaks as time goes on, meaning outbreaks become less frequent and severe.

If you do experience cold sores, the best way to prevent them from occurring is to focus on a healthy lifestyle that supports optimal immune function. While it isn’t possible to stop cold sore outbreaks completely, focusing on a healthy immune system can and does make a difference.

How to Get Rid of a Cold Sore Quickly

Search on Google for “ways to get rid of a cold sore quickly” and you’ll find page after page of home remedies, ranging from aloe vera gel to ice cubes.

The reality is that because cold sores are caused by a viral infection, home remedies that might be effective for other skin conditions aren’t likely to be effective. Instead, the best way to control and get rid of a cold sore is by using proven antiviral medication.

Acyclovir is the most commonly used medication to treat and control herpes, both in its more common HSV-1 form (oral herpes) and HSV-2. Used correctly, Acyclovir can help you control cold sores as they develop and heal them as quickly as possible.

Cold sores develop gradually, meaning it can take some time for a cold sore to develop into an open lesion. Acyclovir is most effective as a treatment when you use it early in the process of a cold sore developing, before it’s had time to develop into a blister.

Most of the time, cold sores will pass through several stages. During the first stage, you’ll notice a tingling or itching sensation around the lips, usually in the area where the cold sore is starting to develop. Sometimes, you’ll also notice a firm, painful spot on or near the lips.

This is usually the first warning that a cold sore is developing, and it’s the best time to start using valacyclovir to prevent the cold sore from developing further. Usually, the itching sensation lasts for one to two days before the cold sore progresses into a blister.

Studies show that people who use Ayclovir early in the process of a cold sore forming have a faster recovery period, usually by around one day. Acyclovir also reduces the risk of other cold sores forming as the infection spreads into other parts of the lips and mouth.

Do's and Don'ts for Faster Cold Sore Healing

Speeding up the cold sore healing process through medication like Acyclovir is only one side of the equation. The other, which is equally important, is making sure you don’t slow down accidentally the healing process by making common cold sore mistakes:

Don’t try to pop a cold sore as if it were a pimple. This just damages your skin and gives the virus fluid a chance to spread throughout your lips and mouth, increasing the risk of other cold sores developing.The best approach is to leave your cold sore alone and let it heal, or use an invisible cold sore bandage from your local pharmacy to cover it up without breaking it open.
Don’t touch a cold sore (unless you wash your hands after). Although rare, the fluid from cold sores can spread to other parts of your body, making it possible to spread cold sores to your genitals or fingers (herpetic whitlow) through contact.
Don’t have oral sex if you have a cold sore. Having oral sex with an open cold sore significantly increases your risk of transmitting genital herpes to your partner, making it best to avoid oral sex until the cold sore is healed.
Don’t aggressively wash the cold sore with soap or facial wash. Oral herpes isn’t caused by dirty skin or lips, meaning most soaps won’t be effective. Instead, overusing soaps and facial cleansers is likely to dry out your skin and slow the healing process.
Don’t use more than the recommended dose of Acyclovir. A higher dose doesn’t necessarily mean faster healing. Follow the dosage provided by your doctor for reliable, safe cold sore recovery.

In Summary

While home remedies like aloe vera and ice cubes might provide temporary relief from the pain and discomfort a cold sore can produce, home remedies aren’t scientifically proven to speed up the cold sore healing process.

Instead, the best way to get rid of a cold sore quickly is to take Acyclovir as soon as you first notice it developing. Used as early as possible, this can speed up the healing process and help you get rid of cold sores as quickly as possible.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.