Cold Sore Healing Stages and Ways to Speed Up the Process

We have made a lot of advances with today's medicine; however, healing cold sores is not among these. The Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 is responsible for cold sores developing. This is a different form of herpes than the one associated with STDs.

Anyone can become infected with a cold sore. Once infected, the virus will remain inactive your body until the immune system is weakened thorough poor health or stress, then it will activate. As a cold sore heals, and eventually disappears, it passes through 5 separate phases. These can be divided into 3 major stages called cold sore healing stages. These stages make it easy to know which type of cold sore treatment you should use.

When talking about cold sore healing stages, it is imperative to recognize that the virus has no cure and the symptoms of infection must run their course. As we speak about cold sore healing stages, we are referring to different ways to minimize symptoms and discomforts associated with the diseases, as well as ways to potentially quicken the time it takes to heal.

Three Stages of Cold Sore Healing

With proper treatment, it is possible to reduce not only the size of your cold sore but also how long it hangs around by almost 40%. Not to mention, you will also be reducing any inflamed or irritated areas. If you think about how much pain and the level of discomfort that can be attributed to cold sores, then you know this is a big deal.

First among the cold sore healing stages will be when you first notice the virus attacking your system. You will feel some pain and the infected area will be itchy. These sensations are a result of the virus moving along your nerve to your skin's surface. During this stage, there is not much you can do but try to ease the pain.

Applying ice to the infected area will slow the attack down and make you feel more comfortable. This will also give you time to prepare things as you may be bedridden during the later stages. Some people say this can also minimize the severity of your cold sore. Other ways to do this include using supplements like lysine. Taking around 2000mg of Lysine during this initial stage will help decrease the severity of your cold sore.

The next in this series of cold sore healing stages will be the formation of pimples. You can use ice or a frozen tea bag to reduce the swelling and pain of the infected area. Tea is the better option as it will soothe your skin which helps make you more comfortable. You can also put garlic oil on the affected area to make this process of healing go faster.

During the last of the cold sore healing phases you will see the pimple erupt and release the pus that had been inside of it. You can use ice to ease the pain. However, this reduces blood flow and that will slow the release of the toxins that you do want to escape. Instead of using ice, use a heated compress to encourage blood flow and quicken healing. You can also use warm tea bags. To keep the area clean, cleanse periodically with some peroxide.

None of these things will permanently cure a cold sore or prevent them from happening again. However, recognizing the stages and knowing what to do can reduce the severity of a cold sore outbreak and help you get better sooner.