So how many of you have suffered from cold sores? Those painful, itchy eyesores that appear on your lips during the dry or stressful season of life. What could be worse than having herpes on your face? Nothing. So companies have gone out and created products to try and alleviate these painful symptoms. Unfortunately, any and all remedies are very pricey (Abreva) and don't work nearly as well as you would like them to (Abreva). And no, I don't have an Abreva grudge, I just hate cold sores too much to have the patience for Abreva. So here is my solution. It is cheap and it is effective, the one-two punch for effective remedies. And this cold sore remedy is none other than Vaseline!
Now, you may ask, how on earth can petroleum jelly help my herpes of the face? To be quite honest, I'm not exactly sure how it works. But, from experience, I know it does. First off, it virtually stops all itching. If Vaseline is applied frequently and generously, my cold sores never itch. And they never hurt. Second off, it significantly shortens the healing process and decreases the size of the cold sores. In this area, it is much more effective than Abreva. It is cheaper than Abreva, it doesn't leave a gross white paste on your face, and it works incredibly well.
So what's the trick? Just put it on. As soon as you feel a cold sore coming on (and all of us who get them know exactly what that feeling is) cover it with Vaseline. And do it generously and consistently. If you do, your cold sores won't itch, they won't get as big, they'll heal faster, and your significant other will want to kiss you even more.
I got my first bad cold sore in YEARS last month. My issue was, once it started healing and scabbing over, I couldn't keep that protective scab on there for the life of me! (Disgusting, I know) I would shave it off or my children would . . . anyway, you get the idea. Does vaseline help with this too?
ReplyDeleteJenny also told me about a nice little product called lactinex. It's not a prescription but you have to get it at the pharmacy because they keep it in the refrigerator. It has halved the time a normal cold sore takes to heal for both Josh and Jen and if you take it as soon as you feel one coming on, it might keep it from even coming to a head. It's not as cheap as vaseline though. It still is only 12 or thirteen dollars. I had honestly never thought of Vaseline but I'm going to try it next time. Thanks for the tip Mike!
ReplyDeleteGreg: Every time I have used Vaseline, the sores have never gotten big enough to produce those types of scabs. I know exactly what you're talking about. Also, you didn't specify, so I'm left to think your children eat the scabs?
ReplyDeleteAlisha: I think there are some products out there that can have just as good of results as Vaseline, such as Lactinex. There are two reasons why I like Vaseline over these options. First, cost. Vaseline is cheap cheap cheap. Second, since you only get cold sores once in a blue moon, it's tough to keep good cold sore medicine in date (and refrigerated if need be) and by the time you get a cold sore you find out that your medicine has expired or run out. Vaseline, at least in our house, is always in ample supply, that way I never have to worry about expired or absent medicine. I can just go to the bathroom and throw it on the instant I feel it coming on!