COLD SORES
DESCRIPTION
A Cold sore appears as a blister, most commonly around the nose and the mouth. They are recurrent, contagious infection caused by a virus called herpes simplex. The virus mimics the normal working of tissue cells and produces copies of itself then spreads.
Cold sores appear in four stages:
1) Tingle-The skin tingles and itches before the cold sore appears.
2) Blisters-begin as a small, raised blotch, which swells and forms blisters. Very often painful.
3) Weeping-blisters collapse and join up to form a weeping sore easily spread at this stage.
4) Scab-blisters begin to dry out and heal.
HOW COLD SORES ARE TRANSMITTED
The virus enters the body through mucus membranes, including the mouth, and also through injures such as cuts and grazes. Usually the person first becomes infected with the virus through contact, such as kissing, but it then may lie dormant until it is reactivated by trigger factors such as; stress, exposure to sunlight and U.V rays, menstruation, fatigue, trauma e.t.c.
MANAGING A COLD SORE
PREVENTION:
It is important to
- Reduce stress and trigger factors (ie. The sun, stress, certain foods)
- Wear sun protective lip balm to protect against U.V rays.
- Lysine is an important vitamin in protecting against the virus.
- To help during periods of stress a B Group Vitamin may be beneficial.
TREATMENT:
If the cold sore has not appeared or at the blister phase:
- If there is a tingling sensation and the cold sore has not yet appeared. Cold Sore cream should be applied five times a day for five days. This will stop it from appearing. This is an anti-viral preparation.
- Also using lysine will encourage the virus to stay in its dormant stage and not be triggered by sun, stress, U.V ray e.t.c.
- Lysine at the first sign of a cold sore to provide relief from the discomfort and reduce the severity if the symptoms.
- Applying of sunscreen based lip balm will also keep U.V rays away.
If the cold sore has appeared:
- Apply VIRASOLVE which will kill any pain and also dry up the cold sore.
- The sun protective lip balm and lysine will help in this stage as well.
Contains aciclovir 5%w/v
Aciclovir is an anti-viral agent active against Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 and Varicella Zoster virus.
Indications:
- for the treatment of Herpes simplex virus infections of the lips (herpes labialis).
Dosage:
- apply five times a day (at approximately four hourly intervals and omit nighti application) at the first sign of the cold sore (ie. tingling sensation)
- treatment should continue for five days after beginning applying cream to lesions.
- contians a specially formulated base that should not be diluted or incorporated into other medicaments. The base is specifically there to penetrate the skin and enable the active drug (aciclovir) to stay on the surface of the lip.
L-Lysine
Lysine has been found to be active against the herpes virus as it is able to inhibit the metabolism of arginine – an amino acid required by the virus for replication. Supplementation with lysine should be accompanied by a diet high in foods rich in lysine (such as vegetables, legumes, fish, sprouts and dairy products), and avoiding foods rich in arginine (such as chocolates, nuts, oats, coconut, peanut butter, garlic, peas and soya beans).
Zinc & Vitamin C
Clinical studies have shown that zinc supplementation leads to a reduction in the frequency, severity and duration of herpes outbreaks, and it is believed that this is due to the role that zinc plays in enhancing cell mediated immunity.
Vitamin C is essential in the formation of collagen (for connective tissue in the skin), along with zinc plays an important role in the healing of wounds and the synthesis of collagen.
SOLUTION KIT
777 Cold Sore Cream
Bioglan L-Lysine
Ego SunSense Lip Balm
CONCLUSION
Cold sores can last for up to ten days. During this time the patient should remain refrain from having contact with other people as it may spread the infection. If a person gets more than six cold sores a year they should be referred to their Doctor.
