Treating the dreaded cold sore

Cold sores have a way of creaping up when you least expect it.  They can be big or small and anywhere around your lips.  It does not make for a pretty site, so those of you planning for a big date, zits aren't the only things to worry about.
 
The sad thing about cold sores is that you can not fully treatment.  Cold sores are like a minor cold in the fact that they are so simple that they are too complex to fix outright.  While there is not exactly a cure for the cold sore, there are steps that you can take to help prevent cold sores or help reduce the length of time a cold sore will stay with you.  There are medications you can use or there are topical treatments.
 
If you know when you are going to get a cold sore, you can start treating it before it actually surfaces.  One great pill that you can take to help prevent cold sores during the times when you get cold sores is lysine.  Lysine comes in a pill form that you simply take with water.  It can prevent the cold sore from surfacing or help get rid of a cold sore that has already surfaced.  Be sure to read the directions and make sure that you know you can take lysine.  If you have high blood pressure, do not take lysine.  Ask your doctor about taking lysine before you begin a regiment of lysine during the duration you are prone to getting cold sores.
 
If perhaps you don't want to take a pill to get rid of a cold sore, don't worry.  There are a lot of different treatments for cold sores to choose from.  There are topical creams that help reduce the itch of a canker sore creating it bareable to work with.  Topical creams help the cold sores from cracking and blistering.  Just remember if you put on a topical cream with your fingers that you must wash your hands to prevent the cold sore from spreading.
 
If topical creams and lysine don't help, it's time to go to a doctor.  Cold sores need to be treated when they first appear.  The quickest way to know that you have a cold sore is when there is a tingle or itchiness or a blister starting to appear.  Cold sores are very contageous so you must be careful so that  you do not spread it to another part of the body.  The doctor will be able to make sure that it is indeed a cold sore and they will be able to provide you with further treatment.