Getting rid of cold sores usually becomes the top priority for those who contract oral herpes (herpes labialis). This is not surprising as cold sores generally appear on the lips and they look like fluid-filled blisters on top of a red base. They are not only unsightly, but they are also coupled with pain and itching and can last 10 to 14 days.

Cold Sores and Oral Herpes

Do having cold sores on the lip area mean that you have oral herpes? Unfortunately, yes.

Cold sores are symptoms of oral herpes. Oral herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 or HSV-1.

Once contracted, the HSV-1 usually stays in your nervous system for a very, very long time, and wakes up every now and then from its dormancy to appear as fever blisters on your face.

Because of this behaviour, there might not really be a remedy that would completely eradicate the virus out of your system, but the good news is that there are various methods for treating fever blisters.

How to Treat Cold Sores Fast

There are many methods you can try to get rid of a cold sore fast. But before looking through them, bear in mind that using make-up to conceal the fever blisters would only aggravate your problem. It is normal to feel embarrassed, but know that oral herpes is extremely common and majority of the population are constantly exposed to it.

Cold sores usually heal within 10 to 14 days. You can always choose to wait it out, but why do so when you can hasten the speeding process? Here are six simple methods:

1. Use over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms. Cold sores can bring pain and discomfort so you can use painkillers such as aspirin or acetaminophen and local anaesthetic ointments to relieve the pain. However, these medications only work by alleviating the symptoms felt.
2. Protect and cover the area. It is very important to protect and cover the affected area with a protective petroleum based product such as petroleum jelly. This can both speed up the healing process and protect the area from further infections.
3. Avoid salty and acidic food. Citrus fruits and foods high in salt and acid content can further aggravate the oral herpes symptoms and can add more to the discomfort caused by the blisters. It is best to avoid these during cold sore outbreaks.
4. Resort to home remedies for treatment of cold sores. There are many cold sore home remedies that people have attested to as effective cold sore cures. These include:Drinking lots of fluids. Drinking lots of water and juices (not citrus ones) helps in speeding up the recession of cold sores.Cold compress. Applying ice can slow down the metabolism of the virus (especially in the initial stages) to prevent severe outbreak, and can also numb the area to lessen pain and itching.Teabag application. Applying teabags are quite effective in speeding up the healing process. Tannic acid in tea has strong antiviral properties.
5. Use one of the many herbal treatments available for fever blisters. Herbs such as aloe Vera, tea tree oil, witch hazel and sage have been discovered to speed up the healing process of cold sores. These herbs only work best when used appropriately and with caution.

Prevention is Better Than Cure

There is no definite cold sore cure that can eradicate HSV-1 all together. Thus, it is best to recognize what triggers the virus from dormancy and avoid such conditions. The most common inducing factors include stress, bright sunlight, exposure to extreme weather, anxiety, dental procedures and other health problems (such as catching a flu). Though there are now many ways on how to get rid of cold sores, it is always better to make sure that you exercise caution and avoid circumstances that would potentially lead to outbreaks.