Why do fever blisters hurt?

Fever blisters are also known as cold sores and they are occur after a person gets infected with a certain virus called Herpes simplex virus 1. Cold sores are highly contagious and real caution is needed when there is is contact with someone who has them. Fever blisters do not cause only physical pain but emotional and psychological pain as well.

What are Fever Blisters?

Fever blisters are considered to be a common health problem. According to available data, these blisters tend to come back after a person has thought that he or she has cured them. An interesting thing is that they always seem to appear when they are least wanted. Fever blisters are also practically impossible to hide once they appear on the face. However, it is important to know that these inconveniences can easily be avoided with proper mouth care, among other things.

Cold sores look like small and clear liquid-filled blisters. In almost all cases of Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection these skin lesions appear on the face. Apart from the face, cold sores can also develop inside the oral cavity which is usually a characteristic of the initial infection. Fever blister may additionally affects wounds or cuts on the skin. This is, however, extremely rare.

Even though fever blisters do not look dangerous or problematic, they generally cause a lot of pain. Itchy sensation is another characteristic of these skin lesions. Both such issues are sometimes very hard to cope with.

The main reason why fever blisters cause psychological damage is because they are unsightly, may be large and are recurrent. Open sores may easily get affected by secondary bacterial infection. This only makes matter worse and prolongs the course of the disease.

There are a lot of ways in which a person can alleviate all the unpleasant symptoms of fever blisters. The virus causing these skin lesions, however, cannot be eradicated, it remains dormant in the body and may easily reactivate triggering recurrent infection.

How can Fever Blisters be Treated?

There are a lot of those who prefer home remedies when it comes to treating fever blisters. Home remedies are a natural and rather efficient way of treating many diseases. Once the crust starts to form, the healing process begins. In almost all cases of fever blisters, they last for two weeks before they completely healed. It is important to know that there are certain ways in which a person can treat these blisters but also prevent them from occurring in the first place.

In people who are able to recognize the outburst of fever blisters using ice is considered to be an excellent home remedy and the first thing one should do. In order for the development process to be prevented, applying ice for every 10 minutes to the tingling during the first hour is crucial.

Apart from ice, tea is a very popular fever blister home remedy as well. The main reason why tea is good is because it has tannic acid as one of its ingredients. According to medical experts, tannic acid has certain anti-viral properties which is an excellent thing in case of fever blisters due to the fact that Herpes simplex virus 1 causes them to develop. Black tea is considered to be the best type of tea to use in this situation. In order to use tea as a remedy, a person should moisten the tea bag and simply place it on the blister. The bag should not be removed for a period of a few minutes and the process repeated every hour. If this remedy is used as soon as the tingling sensation is experienced, the healing process will speed up and the development of fever blisters might be prevented.

Apart from the mentioned petroleum jelly or any other substance prescribed by the doctor should be used as recommended. Applying petroleum jelly is good because it will keep the blister moist which in return prevents its rupture and cracking.

Another very popular home remedy is lemon balm extract. This extract should be applied directly to the blister in order for the healing process to be encouraged and for the pain and discomfort to be soothed. Applying baking soda will prevent the virus from multiplying and spreading to other areas of the face.Honey is one more excellent remedy due to the fact that it possesses anti-viral, antibiotic and anti-fungal properties.

Diet is an important part of fever blister treatment too. The foods and beverages a person consumes influence the occurrence of cold sores a lot. Salty foods and caffeine need to be avoided. Other foods which are high in arginine like chocolate, oatmeal or peanuts need to be excluded from the diet as well because these foods prevent the blisters from healing. On the other hand, intake of certain vitamins like B12 and folic acid should be encouraged because they promote faster healing of blisters.