Many people think cold sores are more common in the winter, though it is not weather-related. “It is a herpes strain that usually comes up when you are under stress or you are immune compromised because you are already sick,” said Cassie Weig, school health coordinator for the Lexington-Fayette Health Department. In other words, cold sores are caused by a herpes virus called herpes simplex, which is the same virus that causes chicken pox and shingles, just a simpler form of it. “When you have a cold or flu virus and your resistance gets low or you are under stress, you are more likely to get a cold sore, which some people call fever blisters,” said Lois Davis, public health nurse manager at the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

To get a cold sore you have to have the virus. “If your lips are cracked or dry and your resistance gets low, you are more likely to develop a cold sore so you should keep your lips moist and keep them from drying and cracking,” said Davis. This is an easy preventative measure. “Any time you have a break in the skin, you are more subject to getting an infection or virus,” said Davis. Since cold sores are spread through saliva from kissing or touching fluid from blisters or sores, you should avoid direct contact with someone who you know is infected.

Know the signs. The first time you are infected, you may have blister-like sores inside your mouth or on your gums and may have a fever or be fussy. The infection can take two to 14 days for symptoms to start. The contagious period is up to two weeks, sometimes longer, and for recurring infections can be three to five days. As usual, avoid sharing items like utensils, towels and lip balm. If you suspect you have a cold sore, you may apply a warm compress or ice to the blisters to ease pain. At-home remedies may be helpful, such as rubbing ice every hour, applying a warm tea bag every hour, applying witch hazel on sores, gently rubbing aloe Vera gel on the sores or using lemon balm extract to speed up healing. Other evidence shows licorice helps to inhibit the development of cold sores because of the ingredient glycyrrhetinic acid. You may also try soaking a cotton ball in cold milk and dabbing it over the sore or sucking on a zinc lozenge to boost the immune system.

The border of the lip is the most common place cold sores appear, according to the Colgate Oral and Dental Health Resource Center. Antiviral medicines may prevent them from forming and if you expect to encounter a known trigger or will be under stress, you can take medicine in advance for prevention. Always keep the area clean and apply lip balm, try not to touch it and call a dentist or physician right away if the sores persist longer than a week, make it hard for you to talk or swallow, if you develop a fever or if you have a second outbreak of blisters.

Duration of cold sores varies. “Sometimes you have a tiny one, put medication on it and it goes away in a day or two but other big ones are blisters that take a week or two because they have to dry up, form a scab and then when you are smiling it cracks open and takes a long time to heal,” said Davis. The same healthy habits should be practiced regardless of whether or not you have cold sores. You should not touch sores, wash hands after touching anything that could be contaminated with secretions from your mouth or sores, clean and disinfect objects that come into contact with sores or secretions from the mouth, use a product that kills germs and do not kiss a person with sores on or near their mouth. Steer clear of acidic or salty foods that may irritate cold sores.

It is mainly an appearance issue but you should still be proactive in treatment. “There are some over-the-counter ointments or chap sticks that prevent them or heal them after they have started forming,” said Davis. You may want to have something on hand in your medicine cabinet so you are prepared. “If you feel one coming on, usually it is a burning or itching feeling and you can put on the ointment or start taking the medicine to keep it from becoming an enlarged blister,” said Davis. If you are concerned, do not be afraid to schedule a doctor’s appointment where you can discuss when symptoms began, if you have had similar symptoms in the past, share your medical history including conditions that may weaken your immune system or if you are pregnant, and talk about stressors in your life that may influence cold sores. The key is to act early. “The sooner you get to them the quicker they heal,” said Davis.

By Jamie Lober, Staff Writer