Fever blisters, also known as cold blisters affect millions of people annually. Caused by the contagious HSV-1, herpes simplex virus type 1, fever blisters are more serious than known. They first appear as tiny blisters on or around the lips. Often fluid-filled, they cause great discomfort. While there is no known cure for fever blisters, we can help you with fever blisters treatments that can help speed the healing process, ease the discomfort, and better manage outbreaks.

First, let us begin by understanding some common symptoms.

Before the deadly fever blister appears, you may notice a burning, itching, or tingling sensation around your lips. Once the blisters have formed, they will likely be located at the edge of your lips where it meets the skin. One can also develop blisters around the nose and possibly on one’s cheeks too. After the blister bursts, it leaves shallow open sores that may ooze fluids, before forming a crust after 4 days. Initial outbreaks of fever blisters are often the worst and can be accompanied by headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, painful swelling, open sores, and sore throat.

Minimizing Recurrence of Fever Blisters

The best fever blisters treatments help manage your own health, preventing them from triggering again. Fever blisters can be triggered by periods of illness, mental and emotional stress, exposure to sunlight, and changes in your immune system.

The Spread of Fever Blisters

Fever blisters are caused by a contagious viral infection. Skin-to-skin contact with open sores and blisters is the most common route of spread. The spread can also take place due to sharing items that have come into contact with the saliva of someone with HSV-1, unclean hands, and kissing someone with symptoms of fever blisters. If you get frequent fever blisters, then your doctor may prescribe fever blisters treatments, like antiviral medication, to prevent them from forming. Additionally, you should also consider applying sunblock when outdoors. You should also replace your toothbrush if you have had a fever blister outbreak, as the virus can live on its surface for several days, potentially resulting in an immediate re-infection.

Fever Blisters Treatments

Valacyclovir and Acyclovir are a couple of FDA-approved oral treatments for fever blisters. These two are fever blister medicine antivirals that are approved by the FDA for treating fever blisters before they can fully develop, or even appear. After consulting with your doctor, you can find out whether the episodic or the suppressive method of taking these oral prescriptions is best for you. With an episodic treatment plan, you will start to take the medication at the exact beginning of your outbreak. A couple of days before an actual visual outbreak, you will feel itching and sensitivity around your mouth. When you take the medication at the immediate onset of the outbreak, you can prevent an outbreak from fully forming. However, it is important to know that treating once an outbreak begins does not reduce the chance of spreading it. During a suppressive treatment plan, you take the medication daily. This reduces the risk by 80%.

If you do get an outbreak with open sores, you can reduce the pain and the duration of your outbreak with the use of topical creams and lidocaine pain creams, in addition to fever blister medicine.

Fever blisters are undeniably unpleasant and painful. Oozing fluid at all times, they also makes for poor appearance. Moreover, they are highly contagious when they are active. There are ways you can help treat your fever blisters before they fully develop, and fever blister medicine has come a long way in the last few years. These commonly occurring infections are seen in approximately 20% of adults across the country. While everybody is vulnerable when it comes to contracting it, not everybody is affected in the same manner. Many people will get a breakout only rarely, while others will get them very often. Surely, this depends on your immune system and the stressors that affect you.