The Cold Sore Virus

posted in: Skin Problems | 0

No-one can deny that cold sores are painful and unsightly. Once infected by the virus, you will carry it with you for the rest of your life. The virus remains dormant but an outbreak can occur at any time revealing an unsightly lesion at the corner of your mouth.

To contract this virus, you have to come into contact with someone who has a cold sore. The virus can be transmitted via the fluid that seeps from the sore and it is advisable to not touch it or to share anything with the person who has the virus. This will minimise the chance of the virus spreading.

The virus is call Herpes Simplex Virus and even if the sore does not look aggressive, it can still spread. If you already have the virus do not touch the sore as you could transmit it to your eyes and so washing your hands constantly is important.

Once you have the virus, you are stuck with it, but it can lie dormant for a long time. There will be triggers however that can cause the lesion to appear. If you start to develop a cold or feel unwell, you could suddenly find that the cold sore virus kicks off and this is because if you have a weakened immune system this is enough to trigger the response.

One way to reduce the chance of the cold sore appearing more than it should is to keep your immune system in optimal condition. Sleep is vital too. Go to bed at approximately the same time each night and develop good sleeping patterns. The sun will also help you to stay healthy as you absorb vitamin D but too much sun can upset the sensitive skin around the lips and this can trigger the dormant virus into action. If you know you are going to be out in the sun for a while, apply a good sunscreen to your face and especially around the mouth area.

Stress can also be another trigger so learning to relax and to minimise stress can help to keep the virus in check, women are also prone to an outbreak if experiencing a hormonal imbalance or menstruation so keeping calm and relaxed at these times can make a huge difference.

There are many cold sore treatments available but preventative is often a better course of action in this case.

“Image courtesy of [marin] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.