Fever blisters or cold sores are not actually connected to having fever or cold as the names imply. In fact, a fever blister is a skin condition which is related to the herpes. It can be very painful condition which manifests itself as itching, burning or having strong pain. Almost a quarter of the Americans are affected by the fever blister.
The fever blister is a consequence of the herpes (herpes simplex virus type 1) and it is estimated that three quarters of population has been infected with it. HSV-1 is placed in the nervous system and it becomes visible when it emerges on the skin around the mouth. The fever blisters should be kept dry and clean as much as possible. You should not eat food that can cause irritation, do not kiss anybody and do not touch people after you touched the blister.
These blisters are contagious and you can easily be infected if you kiss the infected person or if you get in contact with the spit or skin of the infected person. The fever blister is not curable and a person who gets it once, he/she will have it over and over again. The HSV-1 stays dormant in the nerve cells and blisters will eventually emerge again. Sometimes the eruption of blisters can be caused by sunlight, stress or food such as gelatin, chocolate or nuts.
On the other hand, the treatment for the fever blisters is possible. The right treatment can ease the pain and soreness caused by the blisters. You can use oral medication, especially if you have the blister for the first time, or topical medication. Some of the topical medications are Penciclovir 1% cream which should be applied every 120 minutes for four days, Zovirax 5% cream, Famivir and Valacyclovir. These medications should be applied as soon as possible and they can reduce the duration and the size of the fever blister, relieve the pain and put off the recurrence of the blister.
There are also some OTC (over-the-counter) medications that can be used to treat the fever blisters. Some of them are Abreva® which is very effective if it is applied immediately after the patient feels the itch or notices the swelling, Viroxyn® which is good for easing the pain and itching, Lipreve®, an oral medication, which you must take two times a day, Sore Cold XM® which has a roll-on patent and after using it you would postpone the appearance of the another blister and Terrasil® which is said to be natural and contains jojoba and beeswax.
Furthermore, there are some OTC medications which are recommended for reducing the pain of the blisters such as Anbesol Coldsore Therapy Ointment, Zilactin® Cold Sore Gel or Orajel® Medicated Cold Sore Brush.
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