Stopping the spread in your household
The most unfortunate fact about cold sores is how, at the present time, there is no cure. There are only ways of managing outbreaks so they're less painful and visible. The second most unfortunate (and extremely infuriating) fact is that they're highly contagious until they completely heal.
While it's true that the majority of the population has already been exposed to the virus and simply don't show any visible symptoms, you still need to be wary of coming into contact with others if you have the virus. If you do end up accidentally passing it onto someone else, they're not likely to thank you for it.
But you don't have to put yourself in quarantine in order to stop it spreading. The following simple advice will help if you're a sufferer yourself or if you regularly come into contact with a partner, housemate, co-worker, or family member who regularly suffers themselves. If everyone is aware of the ways in which to stop a cold sore spreading, then the risk is kept to a minimum.
Don't pick
You will want to avoid touching the affected area as much as possible, as this can cause the virus to spread to your fingers and possibly then to other parts of your face, not to mention make the healing process last a lot longer and potentially leave you with a scar.
Wash your hands
Even if you make sure you don't interfere with your blemish, washing your hands with antibacterial soap and warm water will help ensure that the HSV-1 virus stays off your fingers.
If you're worried that washing your hands too much will cause the skin to become dry, make sure you carry some moisturising lotion around with you.
It's not always good to share
When suffering from a cold sore, some things are best kept to yourself. Some of these may seem obvious (and you probably avoid sharing these anyway), but here's a quick rundown of the items you don't want anyone other than yourself using:
- Glasses and mugs
- Eating utensils
- Towels
- Toothbrushes
- Lip balms/lipstick
- Razors
No Kissing
Again, this may seem obvious, but if you're in a relationship and suddenly suffer an outbreak, kissing is off limits until the cold sore is completely healed. Your other half will surely understand. The same goes for any close relatives.
Keep it in control with Herstat – Having a tube of Herstat handy will give you the best fighting chance of keeping your HSV-1 outbreak under control.
We use the secret weapon of propolis, a natural ingredient produced by bees, in our cream which can help treat and relieve the symptoms.
In fact, if you use it early enough, you may find that your cold sore is gone before people even notice. Remember, though, that a cold sore doesn't have to be visible to be contagious (let's count that as unfortunate/infuriating fact number three), so even if you feel as though you've successfully managed to keep your latest outbreak under wraps, you should still make sure you follow the above advice every time you feel that dreaded tingle.
Maybe every cloud does have a silver lining
If you're looking for a cold sore treatment that actually works, you could be forgiven for just wanting to wish the very existence of cold sores away, to fantasise that the virus had never blighted humanity.
But to do so might be premature, because, as it turns out, cold sores may actually have some use to humanity that goes beyond giving them hurt, pain, unsightly blemishes and, ultimately, the humility that goes with having experienced these things.
This is because scientists have recently been working with a modified version of the virus in order to create a cold sore treatment for skin cancer, and the good news is that it is showing signs of having the potential to actually work while having the crucial benefit of being low toxicity.
Melanoma patients at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust taking part in the trial have been administered a genetically modified version of the virus called T-VEC. The cold sore treatment involves injecting the virus directly into tumours; it then attacks the cancer cells but leaves the healthy cells intact.
The first patient to participate in the trial at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Wirral is a 67-year-old woman from Liverpool who received the injection in 2015 following a 2012 diagnosis of malignant melanoma.
This came in the wake of 20 procedures which had sought but failed to treat her skin cancer. "I am really pleased with the results. The lumps have shrunk and shrivelled," said the patient.
Although the cold sore treatment trial remains at a relatively early stage, scientists at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre believe that they are fast gaining an understanding of how it works and how it can be further utilised to stimulate patients' immune systems.
"Ultimately we hope that the research will help us identify which patients are most likely to benefit, thus helping us choose which patients to offer T-VEC to, minimising side effects while maximising treatment," said one scientist.
It may be early days, but it is great to know that even something as horrible as the cold sore virus may have its uses, though that is likely to come as little consolation next time you feel that telltale tingling and reach for the next tube of Herstat cold sore treatment.
There are many children who grow up afraid to smile and, above all, terrified of the camera. The reason for this? In the absence of a trusted cold sore treatment, they suffer from recurrent cold sores and feel worried about the gaze of both friends and strangers.
