How to get rid of cold sores overnight home remedies

5 Tips to Get Rid of a Cold Sore Faster*

Patience may be a virtue but that’s little comfort when you want to get rid of a cold sore overnight. Unfortunately, you can’t get rid of a cold sore in 24 hours, but you can shorten cold sore healing time and cut down the duration of painful cold sore symptoms.

Just because there isn’t a cure for cold sores, doesn’t mean you have to suffer patiently until it clears up on its own. Here are 5 tips to get rid of a cold sore faster*.

ACT QUICKLY AND APPLY ABREVA

• An effective way to treat cold sores and help them heal faster is by applying Abreva Cream as soon as you feel that familiar tingle and/or see redness on or around your lip.
• Abreva starts to work immediately by soothing on contact and shortens the duration of pain, itching, burning, and tingling of cold sores.
• Abreva is clinically proven to shorten the healing time of a cold sore.

COOL THAT COLD SORE DOWN WITH A COLD COMPRESS

• Similar to using ice to relieve a painful sprain or injury, placing a cool, wet towel on a cold sore can help reduce pain, redness and swelling.
• Apply a cold compress 3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time to help it feel better.

TAKE AWAY THE PAIN

• There’s nothing to gain by toughing it out. Taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce the pain and swelling, although this won’t get rid of the cold sore faster.

AVOID HOT BEVERAGES AND FOODS THAT ARE SALTY, SPICY, OR ACIDIC

• Do yourself a favor and steer clear of foods that are likely to irritate a cold sore. Things like pretzels, curry, hot sauce, or citrus fruits could aggravate your cold sore and make the pain worse.
• Tomatoes and citrus fruits like oranges contain acid that can irritate the skin.
• But many of these acidic fruits also contain Vitamin C that can boost your white blood cell count to fight off the infection.
• Instead, take a tablet containing Vitamin C to get your body’s defenders fighting the battle for you.

HANDS OFF

• Keep your hands off that cold sore. Resist the temptation to pick at it because you may prolong the healing process or make it more irritated.
• Remember, cold sores are contagious so if you accidently touch it, DO NOT touch any other body parts, especially your eyes.
• Be sure to wash your hands as soon as possible to avoid spreading it to another area or to somebody else.

SHOW YOUR LIPS SOME LOVE

Dry lips are more prone to cold sore outbreaks and make it easier to catch the virus that causes them. Find out how to keep lips moist.

The site is intended for Canadian Residents only. Haleon group of companies Consumer Healthcare ULC, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 6L4. Trademarks owned or licensed by Haleon. ©2020-2022 Haleon or licensor.
To be sure this product is right for you always read and follow the label. *In clinical testing, Abreva is proven to reduce healing time of cold sores to median 4.1 days when used at the first sign of a cold sore. An untreated cold sore can last approximately 8-10 days.

At-Home Remedies for Cold Sores

When you have a cold sore, you want to act on it quickly. You may end up trying cold sore home remedies that friends, family or health websites recommend but you may find that these aren’t clinically proven. Some remedies may offer only temporary symptom relief, while others may have the potential to make the cold sore worse. With lots of anecdotal evidence out there, let’s unpack what some natural remedies for cold sores can do to help with symptoms, and whether or not they may be effective.

9 Natural Remedies for Cold Sores

Lemon Juice1.

While some studies have investigated lemon balm as a cold sore remedy,1,2 there is not enough research on the effects of lemon juice. Although some believe that lemon juice has antibacterial properties, applying lemon juice to your cold sore probably won’t help against the virus.

Tea Bags2.

Using tea bags as a cool compress may cool down any redness around the cold sore, similar to its use for other inflammation of the skin. It cannot however, fight the full infection.1

Alcohol/Witch Hazel3.

Rubbing alcohol and witch hazel are astringents, which might help dry out the cold sore.1,3 Using one or both of these, however, has not been chemically proven to heal the cold sore itself.

Ice4.

Using ice as a cold compress is an easy cold sore home remedy that can be used to provide temporary pain relief and help reduce redness and swelling of your cold sore.1 Consider using it on or near the affected area as necessary for relief.

Tea Tree Oil5.

Tea tree oil is known to have antiseptic properties. It might encourage the natural healing process by drying out the cold sore and may prevent bacterial infection, but it’s not clinically proven to treat cold sores.4

Vanilla Extract6.

Pure vanilla extract is alcohol based. As an astringent, it may function in the same way as rubbing alcohol or witch hazel.

Salt Water7.

Salt may help change the environment around the virus so it can’t thrive. While it might dry up the cold sore, it can also be painful to your skin.3

Petroleum Jelly8.

Petroleum jelly may help soften the skin on or around the lips and provide a protective layer against infection. It will not necessarily shorten the healing time of the cold sore, however.

Hot Compress9.

Using a warm or hot compress (a clean towel soaked with warm-hot water) may help reduce the inflammation.1 It can be applied over the sores in an interval of 20 minutes.

Although these remedies may help with temporary symptom relief, or to minimize bacterial infections, home remedies for cold sores are not necessarily a cure-all. Over-the-counter Abreva Cream, however, can help. In clinical testing, Abreva has been proven to reduce healing time of cold sores when used at the first sign of a cold sore. The median healing time is 4.1 days, but 25% of users see healing results in 2.5 days. As with any home remedy or medication, be sure to speak to a healthcare professional or your provider beforehand. Cold sores can definitely be challenging to live with, but there are plenty of resources available to help mitigate your symptoms. For more information on cold sore topics such as these, be sure to visit the Abreva site.

SOURCES:

1. Cold sore – Diagnosis & treatment. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-sore/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20371023. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

2. Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis. National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23195812/. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

3. Cold and Canker Sores. University of Michigan Health Service. https://uhs.umich.edu/coldcankersores. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

4. Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil gel (6%) for the treatment of recurrent herpes labialis. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/48/3/450/736091. Accessed 4/15/21. Referenced text is indicated in source PDF.

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