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5 Cold Sore Remedy Myths – And the Treatment that Actually Works!

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5 Cold Sores Remedy Myths - And the Treatment that Actually Works!

Don’t you just hate cold sores? They are a pain in the butt and they come at the most inconvenient times! I’ve always been plagued with cold sores and over the years I’ve definitely learned what works and what doesn’t. So today I’m going to share with you how to fight cold sores with medicine, not myths.

5 Common Cold Sore Remedy Myths

Cold Sores come at the WORST times, but with Abreva you're always prepared to fight that fever blister away!

Myth 1: Distilled vinegar helps prevent cold sore outbreaks

FACT: I did a bunch of research (a.k.a. searched through many pages of Google) and while I saw many blogs, holistic websites, and DIY’ers saying that vinegar prevents cold sores… I couldn’t find any medical facts to back that up.

MYTH 2: Putting ice on a cold sore helps it heal faster

FACT: While it will successfully numb the area and give you relief in that way, it will not speed up the healing process. It can reduce the redness and swelling, though, which is a neat tip. Never know when that might come in handy. 🙂

MYTH 3: Witch Hazel will heal your cold sores

FACT: Witch hazel is an astringent, so all it will do is dry out your cold sore. That doesn’t necessarily heal it. Also, it isn’t an FDA approved method to speed the healing of cold sores.

MYTH 4: Ingredients like camphor and menthol can heal a cold sore

FACT: These are common ingredients found in lip balm and lip ointment, but they aren’t clinically proven to heal a cold sore. But it will feel moisturizing and soothing on your lips, so it can’t hurt. Just don’t expect your cold sore to leave any quicker. 🙂

Myth 5: All nonprescription treatments work the same

FACT: Unfortunately, not all are created equal. Most nonprescription treatments only treat the pain of cold sores and provide temporary relief. Only Abreva® is FDA approved to shorten the healing time of your cold sore. Which is where the next part of this post comes in — what actually works. 🙂

What Cold Sore Remedy Actually Works

The Cold Sore Treatment that Actually Works!

So, as you know, this post is sponsored by Abreva®, but I’ve been using their product for the past 3 years on my cold sores and I’m a big believer in their claims: it really does work! This is why I was so excited to get the opportunity to work with Abreva® on this post. Abreva® is FDA approved to shorten the healing time of your cold sore. And it’s available without a prescription in the cough/cold aisle at pretty much any big drug, mass, or grocery retailer. If used at the first sign of a cold sore (which I am always careful to watch for), 25% of Abreva® users healed in 2.5 days, while the median healing time is 4.1 days. (Yes, that .1 is important, gotta be exact 😛 ) Nothing else* shortens the healing time of your cold sore like Abreva®, and I can testify to that. I get cold sores multiple times in a year and the moment I feel one starting to form, I reach for my tube. There have been times when the cold sore barely even comes up to the surface before it goes away — Abreva® is that good. While most all of the other products I’ve tried in the past provide me temporary relief from my cold sore symptoms, Abreva® treats the issue so I can get back to rocking the fun lip colors ASAP (because let’s be honest, that’s what I miss most when I have a cold sore! 😛 )

*Among OTC products.

Learn More About Abreva®

5 Cold Sores Remedy Myths BUSTED - And the treatment that actually works to heal your fever blister in record time!

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Comments

  16. Chrissy says

    I use chapstick which seems to help but I also try to drink a ton of water because I think that helps my skin and generally keeps my immune system strong which keeps cold sores from popping up so often.

  34. Sarah Sq. says

    I get cold sores from stress. As far as non prescription things go, Abreva really is the best. I’ve tried a ton of things. My dad is a dentist and prescribed me this new cream called Xerese and it works SO well. It’s expensive, but I was able to get a coupon on their website so it was only $35 and it’s worth every penny.

    A lot of things I’ve read say to keep it moisturized, but I’ve found that keeping it dry helps more for me. I put the Xerese on and that’s it! It has a numbing property so no ice is required. I find that keeping it dry makes it less obvious as well.

  35. Kim Pincombe-Cole says

    I always keep Abreva in my medicine cabinet. It seems like I notice the start of a cold sore late at night & it’s a life saver knowing I have something to put on it immediately.

  41. Esther says

    I get cold sores and impetigo all the time. Abreva helps for the cold sore and I use a prescription antibiotic ointment for impetigo. I also wash the affected area and its surroundings with hibiclens.

  57. Linda Szymoniak says

    I’ve actually been lucky and haven’t had a cold sore – at least not that I remember. I realize that could change at any time, and I think I’d get some Abreva if I did. It sounds like a great product. urdchan at gmail dot com

  61. Kimberly says

    I’ve only had a few over the years, one just recently. I was going to try Abreva for the first time but it was small so I just waited. I like the idea of having a real treatment available though.

  66. Lisa S. says

    Fortunately, I’ve not gotten one in years but I used to all the time as a kid. I feel like I remember my mom using Anbesol or Orajel on them. I know for sure that I hated getting them and they hurt so bad!! If I do get one anytime soon I’ll definitely try Abreva.

  67. Tracy Robertson says

    I’m lucky that I have never had a cold sore. I am confused because I have read that cold sores are herpes, but I have a friend who gets cold sores and she is a virgin and never even kissed anyone. So if it’s herpes, I don’t see how she got it.

    • Katie G says

      Yes, it is a “herpes”, but from what I understand it’s different from the other herpes. The cold sore herpes is passed from the saliva of the infected person. So just sharing cups with someone who has the cold sore virus can cause you to get it. It doesn’t just transfer from kisses. I got mine from my mom — I never did listen when she told me not to drink from her cup….and now I have the virus forever. Darn. Lesson learned…just a too late, lol

  79. Anne says

    It has been many many years since I’ve had a cold sore (thank goodness!). I don’t remember exactly how I treated the sore itself, but I think it was only to relieve symptoms, and I do remember taking lysine to minimize the frequency of outbreaks.

  81. Andrea Darst says

    I’m fortunate enough to never have gotten a cold sore, but my mom gets them frequently, and she uses Vaseline. I’ll have to tell her about Abreva.

  89. Jeffrey says

    My wife gets cold sores, especially when she is exposed to the sunny heat of summer. She takes L-Lysine on a daily basis and it seems to limit the flare-ups. When one shows up she does use Abreva and has found it to work quite nicely!

  97. Sonya Morris says

    I use several things when I get cold sores. I use a product called Releev for the first day, or two, and then switch to Abreva. That combo seems to get rid of cold sores the fastest for me!

  119. Rebecca W says

    I don’t think I’ve ever had a cold sore thankfully. I usually battle with chapped lips though, and try to use a good chapstick to keep them from cracking.

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