Without treatment, fever blisters can last up to four weeks. After treatment, you…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Risks Try this Healing time Takeaway What is a cold sore? Read on to learn why and find out what you can do instead. What happens when you pop a cold sore? What can I do instead? How long will it take to heal on its own?
Unlike pimples, which people often pop, popping your cold sore blister increases your likelihood of spreading infection on your own body or to others! Many different triggers risk activating the virus and causing symptoms, including stress, fatigue, illness, and sun exposure. The herpes simplex virus type 1 HSV-1 emerges in five distinct phases that cause painful and unpleasant cold sore outbreaks. Every step of the cold sore process is miserable, but step 2 is especially bothersome.
Worse yet, popping your cold sore blisters increases the likelihood of spreading the virus to others or even spreading herpes to other parts of your body. Not all blisters are created equally! Pimples, canker sores, and ingrown hairs all cause blisters unrelated to the herpes virus. Pimples develop when the oil glands on your face become clogged and infected.
Most of us are familiar with pimples as the swollen, red lesions filled with pus that develop on the face. Though pimples are painful to the touch, you can differentiate them from cold sores because they are unlikely to itch, burn, or tingle.
Canker sores, or aphthous ulcers, are shallow white lesions with inflamed pink borders that occur inside the lips and mouth. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement and efficient healthcare delivery. Which should I choose? Authors Topics. Nick Dragon Jan 12, If you prefer to listen to this article, click on the SoundCloud player below.
Lysine: An oral supplement or ointment, found in the pharmacy or health store supplement section, may prevent outbreaks, or lessen its duration. Use as directed on the bottle. Lemon lip balm or lemon tea: Use a lip balm with at least 1 percent lemon, or you can use a cottonball soaked in strong lemon tea used as a compress, held in place for a few minutes, and repeated several times a day.
Aloe Vera: The preferred usage is applying fresh gel directly from the easily-maintained plant in compress form, but a store-bought pure aloe vera gel can also be used.
Aloe vera is often used for treatment of skin problems, and can help prevent a bacterial infection from developing in the open sore. Real vanilla extract: The alcohol in the extract keeps the area clean and may make it harder for the virus to flourish.
Apply compress-style as soon as you feel the first tingling sensation, and use until no longer needed. NOTE: There is some discussion as to whether an open sore heals faster when kept dry which is enhanced by using an alcohol-based product or moist, which results from using an ointment such as petroleum jelly.
Trial and error will let you know what works for you. However, once a scab is formed, an ointment can reduce the chances of the scab cracking, causing more pain, and increasing the chance of a secondary infection. Licorice powder: Unfortunately, chowing down on your favorite brand of black licorice won't do the trick on this one. Use licorice powder mixed with water or petroleum jelly to form a paste, and apply it to the affected area several times a day — or even better, right before bedtime so it can stay there all night.
Milk: It's not just for babies anymore! Milk contains L-Lysine and proteins known as immunoglobulins the little soldier cells your body produces to fight off infections. To prevent outbreaks, drink whole milk. To help cold sores that have already erupted, use a whole-milk compress. Peppermint oil: This natural remedy kills the virus cells when applied directly to an open wound.
Unfortunately, the oil can't soak through your skin, so this isn't a preventive measure. The cold sore then develops into a scab and heals over the course of one to two weeks, usually without leaving behind a scar. While pimples form when sebum and dead skin cells clog a pore in your skin, cold sores are the result of the HSV-1 virus — an infectious virus that can easily spread to other parts of your body, as well as to other people.
Through direct contact, the fluid can spread to your fingers, eyes or genitals, causing a more severe herpes infection to develop. Beyond the increased risk of spreading the HSV-1 virus either to other parts of your body or to other people , there are several other reasons not to pop a cold sore. Cold sores are the result of a viral infection, namely the HSV-1 virus.
However, any open sores can also become infected by bacteria — a significant risk if you pop or rupture a cold sore while you have bacteria on your fingers. Your fingers and fingernails contain a surprising amount of bacteria.
When your fingertip comes into contact with an open cold sore, it only takes a fraction of a second for this bacteria to enter into the sore and potentially cause a painful infection. In the case of a major infection, you may need to take antibacterial medication in addition to antiviral drugs. Cold sores can be painful on their own, which is why many people opt to use topical ointments and over-the-counter pain medication during HSV-1 outbreaks.
However, the pain of a regular cold sore is nothing compared to the pain and discomfort from a popped cold sore. Cold sores usually do not leave scars.
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