Without treatment, a cold sore can take up to around 12 days to heal. That is a long time to spend in discomfort. Thankfully, Herstat can help relieve some of the uncomfortable symptoms of a cold sore, such as dry, cracked and sore lips.
The stages of a cold sore
If you don't treat a cold sore you are likely to experience the following symptoms during an outbreak:
- Day 0-1: A tingling sensation on the edge of your lip – this is caused by the replication of the HSV-1 virus;
- Day 2-3: At this point, a blister usually develops – this occurs because the epithelial cells from which the skin is made become infected. This is usually the most painful stage of an outbreak;
- Day 3-6: At around this time blisters will turn into ulcers and begin to weep – this takes place when the epithelial cells are destroyed by the virus. At this point a cold sore is at its most contagious;
- Day 6-9: From this stage onwards, the lesion is no longer developing but healing. Cold sore ulcers should begin to form scabs;
- Day 9-12: Eventually the scabs will fall off and the new skin that has formed to heal the wound will be revealed. It might take a few days for it to look like the rest of your skin.
