Sandy Crest Medical Centre - Health Tips
Cold sores
Cold sores (fever blisters) are clusters of
small fluid filled lesions that develop on the lip, corner of the
mouth or on the nose; they are usually inflamed and painful. Cold
sores are caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus (Most often Type-I).
They are highly contagious and are readily passed on from person to
person through sneezing, coughing, kissing, touching the area or by
sharing utensils and other items (e.g. lip sticks, lip balms, etc.).
There is no cure and repeated outbreaks may be secondary to stress,
illness, the menses and on many occasions there is no identifiable
reason. Between outbreaks the virus hides within the nerves. Cold
sores may be treated with an anti-viral cream which is applied
directly to the lesion and/ or by using anti-viral tablets (e.g.
Acyclovir, Famciclovir, etc.). Complete healing may take up to 10
days. While medication does not cure the outbreak, however, it
reduces the length of the symptoms, the severity of symptoms and the
likelihood of passing on the infection.
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