I freely admit that my sense of humor never advanced beyond a fourth grade level. And, yes, that is the reason why I chose to write this article. I'm sitting here, pointing and laughing, because you have herpes. And it's on your mouth. You have mouth herpes. Ha ha! And you can't hate me. Know why? Because I have it too. I don't have any proof of it at the moment, but I have suffered numerous fever blisters. The only joy I take out of it is being able to tell people truthfully that “I have herpes . . . herpes labialis” in a purely James Bond sort of way.
A fever blister, known also as a cold sore, is a miserable thing. Luckily, it's not the same as genital herpes. Nay. That would be herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2). Fever blisters are herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1). Both nasty, but I would far rather have the latter. So would most other people. This is good since somewhere between 60–80% of Americans have HSV1. The virus is generally contracted at a young age (<12yrs) and is thought to stay with you for life. So, if you were hoping to learn how to get rid of fever blisters for good, dream on. Fortunately, a fever blister usually only lasts for about two weeks. But during those two weeks, you have to deal with a painful, burning, itching, cracking little hell spot right up next to your grill. And, yes, fever blisters will heal up and go away on their own without any help from you. However, they don't have to. While there isn't an immediate fever blister cure, there are a number of things you can do to get rid of fever blister symptoms a little faster.
Fever Blister Treatment
Don't spread your herpes. Usually, when a fever blister is about to rear its ugly head on your face, you have some warning signs. Most of the time you will feel a slight burning, itching, tingling, prickling feeling just below the surface of your skin. If you touch the spot, it may feel slightly hardened. If some or all of the signs are there, stop touching it immediately and wash your hands. This virus is rather contagious, so cease any and all making out, sharing of straws, food, whatever.
Herpes labialis treatment. So now you know what's coming. This is by far the best time to start doing something to get rid of a fever blister. The first thing you should do is to gently clean the area with soap and warm water. Once clean and dry, apply some sort of fever blister remedy (see bottom and left sections for specifics). Now avoid any environmental conditions that might make the fever blister worse. Stay out of direct sun, avoid extreme cold, and stay out of the wind.
Teabag yourself. I know . . . sounds hot. Well, it can be. If the fever blister has already formed, take a hot black teabag and plop it on there. Not only is the warmth and wetness extremely soothing, the tannins from the tea act as an antiviral and speed the healing process. If your fever blister is just forming, get a couple teabags good and wet and put them in the freezer. After they are frozen, give yourself a good teabagging. Because these things can be painful, do yourself a favor and take an anti-inflammatory like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Protect your fever blister. One of the reasons that people hate fever blisters so much is because they can and often do become cracked and start to pus and ooze. It's disgusting. Not only is it disgusting, it also increases the possibility of secondary infection. To avoid this, you should take a little petroleum jelly and smear it on your fever blister. This will keep it moist so it won't crack, and it will provide a barrier between the fever blister and potential contaminants. A product called New Skin works well for this too.
Choose your foods wisely. For obvious reasons you should avoid highly acidic foods like anything citrus or tomato based. Also avoid salty things. These can be extremely irritating to fever blisters. Choose foods that are high in lysine (highly recommended as a fever blister remedy) such as pretty much any dairy/cheese product, beets, mangoes, pears, apples, apricots, and fish. You can also buy lysine supplements at any vitamin shop. Avoid foods high in arginine such as nuts, chocolate, caffeine, brown rice, whole wheat, and soy products.Fever Blister Remedies
As I mentioned above, a majority of people in the U.S. (60–80%) suffer from fever blisters. So, of course, there are a pile of different fever blister medicine types. Some of these, such as Denavir and Zovirax, both of which are FDA approved, are actually antivirals and only available through prescription. If your issues with fever blisters are pretty severe, you should consider asking a doctor about these fever blister medications. If, on the other hand, you are more like me and only suffer from occasional cold sores, something available over-the-counter might be more in order. My weapons of choice are an anesthetic called Viractin and (my personal favorite) Abreva. Abreva is kind of expensive (around 12–15 bucks) but well worth it. It not only soothes on contact, it also helps to repair cell membranes so that they can't be infected by the herpes simplex virus.
