Herpecin-L Lip Balm Stick, SPF 30

Apply Herpecin when you feel your lips begin tingling.  This balm is known to stop cold sores in their tracks.  There are a lot more reviews out there about Carmex but I think that is because Carmex has been around longer and therefore has a greater loyalty.

Herpecin is a really great product and it has cured my lip sores before they even get to the blister stage.

Ingredients:

Sunscreen – Sun burn is known to agitate the skin and cause lip sores
Lemon Balm, Vitamin B6 – skin conditioner
Dimethicone – seals moisture in skin
Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lysine – antioxidants

Carmex Cold Sores Click Stick Lip Moisturizer with Sunscreen, Cherry Flavor, SPF 15

Carmex Lip Balm seals in lip moisture and helps prevents your lips from getting dried out or wind burned. Sun is a known culprit in causing cold sores and lip sores so having the double feature of sunscreen along with the moisturizer is a great way to cure lip sores.

Carmex is a long, trusted brand in cold sore prevention and relief.  Many people swear by it and take Carmex with them wherever they go.  For a while I even heard rumors that Carmex had addictive qualities.
It doesn’t, if you are worried.

Besides the somewhat medicinal taste of Carmex, it works really well at relieving burning, itching and swelling of mouth sores.  Carmex, in my experience, has never prevented a cold sore from appearing like Herpecin does but Carmex does an excellent job at keeping lips moisturized and soft, which will keep cold sores from happening in the long run.  If you wear Carmex daily you’ll probably have fewer mouth sores.

If I were you I would not buy the flavored Carmex.  Scents and added dyes can irritate your lip sore further.  It is always best to stick with an all natural product with no added flavors–although the flavored type is tempting to buy since Carmex doesn’t taste great.

Active Ingredients:
Octinoxate
Oxybenzone

Inactive Ingredients:
Petrolatum
Lanolin
Meadow Foam
Seed Oil
Camphor
Menthol
Phenol
Salicylic Acid in a mixture of fragrance

Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment

Blistex offers hydrating lip therapy for extremely chapped lips.  Chapped lips leave lips sore and dry and this can cause a lip sore outbreak.  The nice thing about Blistex is that the menthol in it makes your lips instantly feel cool and refreshed.  It relieves burning and itching right away and it doesn’t have the waxy taste associated with Herpecin or Carmex.  Blistex has a nourishing feel but again, it doesn’t prevent or cure a cold sore; it does help relieve the lip sores once they come though.

At the first sign of a lip sore, fever blister or severe chapping or sunburn rub this ointment on your lips to soothe and protect them.

Like Carmex (with flavoring) Blistex does offer balms that have added flavors.  This can cause further irritation to your sores if you have a bad reaction to it.  Keep this in mind when making your product choice.

Active Ingredients:
Allantoin
Camphor
Menthol
Phenol

Inactive Ingredients:
ammonium hydroxide
beeswax
calcium disodium EDTA
calcium hydroxide
cetyl alcohol
dimethicone
flavors
glycerin
lanolin
lauric acid
mineral oil
myristic acid
oleic acid
palmitic acid
paraffin
petrolatum
polyglyceryl-3 diisostearate
potassium hydroxide
purified water
SD alcohol
silica
sodium hydroxide
sodium saccharin
stearyl alcohol

Be aware of ingredients and allergies.  If you are allergic to any of the ingredients listed do not use that product.  A small amount of an ingredient you are allergic to applied to an open sore can seriously negatively affect your good intentions and cause more pain.

The sad thing is, you can’t cure cold sores, also known as fever blisters.

But you can take steps to prevent cold sores and it’s best to know what triggers a lip sore outbreak for your body.

COMMON COLD SORE TRIGGERS

If you’re going to prevent new sores on your lips, get to know these common triggers that many of us don’t give enough credit to.

1. Stress: We all have too much stress in our lives. But when stress really gets to us, it’s common for a cold sore to erupt. Talk about adding wood to the fire.
2. Not Enough Sleep: The average adult should get at least 6-9 hours of sleep a night. If you’re not getting that much, you could be tempting a mouth sore to appear.
3. Overexposure to Sunlight: Too much sunlight or exposure to UV rays can dry out the skin and attach your lips. If you’re going to be in the sun for an extended period of time or in the tanning booth, make sure you use a lip balm to protect your lips.
4. Dry, Chapped Lips: Deal with chapped lips immediately. The last thing you want to do is create lip sores by not taking care of them.
5. Menstruation
6. Pregnancy
7. Fever: Getting a cold or flu can reduce your body’s hydration levels, which can spur fever blisters.

While not all of these causes of cold sores can be avoided, some of them can at least be addressed before it becomes too late. If you think you are about to have some mouth sores, it’s best to get prepared with some pain relievers and natural home remedies for mouth sores.

MY MOUTH SORE MAKES IT HURT WHEN I EAT

If you have a canker sore, avoid foods that are either very spicy or very salty.  Bland tasting foods are usually the best in general.  Also avoid foods which have citric acid in them (like orange juice) as they can irritate your canker sore.  A good way to dull the pain is to eat cold foods like ice cream or popsicles.

WHAT DIET CHANGES CAN I MAKE TO PREVENT MOUTH SORES

Foods high in the B vitamins can have a positive effect in reducing the occurrence of canker sores. If you notice that you your canker sores  usually occur after you eat or drink a lot of a certain type of food  (again, such as juices high in citric acid or extra salty or spicy food), you’ll want to make a mental note of this and avoid those foods in the future.

One last thing to keep in minds is that certain kinds of toothpastes and mouthwashes contain an ingredient known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. This ingredient has been associated with causing an increase in mouth sores breakouts for some people. So check to make sure that your toothpaste isn’t the reason for your canker sores.

Here’s to a healthy and pain-free smile!

Once contracted, cold sores will lie dormant in your nervous tissue. Everyone has certain lip sore triggers that will prompt a new sore to erupt.

Fever blisters can’t be cured but you can take steps to prevent cold sores and treat them to shorten their lifespan.

Cold Sore Signs and Symptoms

Here’s some things you should look for to identify lip sores:

• Tingling of the lips. This sometimes precedes lip blisters by 1-2 days.
• Small, hard bumps under the skin around the mouth
• Small and painful blisters filled with fluid on around the mouth. These blisters are often raised, red and very painful.

Cold sores last 7-14 days and can leave a lasting red bump for up to a month after a lip sore has erupted. They can also appear on your nostrils and sometimes inside your mouth.

After a cold sore has appeared, it will eventually break and release fluid. After that, the lip sore will crust over and will create a scab that can last for about 10 days.

Cold Sores Are Contagious

Cold sores brought on by HSV-1 are very contagious, especially during the period that they have erupted on your skin. It’s best to stay out of contact with others during this time and avoid touching you sore with with your fingers.

Do not share food, drinks, utensils or even towels with someone who has an open fever blister.

Cold sores are even contagious when they are not present, but spreading them during this time is rare.

Preventing Cold Sores

There are several steps you can take for preventing cold sores. To do so, you must know:

1. What are your cold sore triggers
2. How to prevent cold sores

Some simple steps to take include eating healthy foods, wearing sunblock and avoiding stress.

Cold Sores Treatment

If you have cold sores, you will want to take steps to make sure your body can deal with the pain and also shorten the lifespan of the cold sore.

Here’s some more resources for treating lip sores:

• The truth about Abreva ointment
• Cold Sore Pain Killers

Medical Attention Sometimes Required

Cold sores that last for more than two weeks can be cause for consulting a medical professional. Most cold sores will not need medical assistance, but if your symptoms are severe, you’ve had irritation in your eyes or you have a pre-existing condition that lowers your immune system, it’s best to get the help you need.

Cold sores, also called fever blisters, are caused by the Herpes Simplex 1 Virus (HSV-1). They usually appear as small, red, painful bumps on and around the lip area and sometimes nostrils. They rarely appear inside the mouth.

What Are Canker Sores?

Canker sores are small, painful sores inside the mouth that can either be red or have a white coating.

Canker sores most commonly appear on the soft tissue of the inside of your lips and cheeks and sometimes under your tongue. They can appear as a single mouth sore or as a small cluster of sores inside the mouth.

People in their 20s are most susceptible to canker sores, although anyone can experience them.

Are Canker Sores Contagious?

NO! Isn’t that great? Unlike cold sores, canker sores are mouth ulcers that do not spread from person to person.

It’s still a good idea to not share food and drinks while you are experiencing a canker sore, but you won’t infect another person if you do.

What Causes Canker Sores?

No one knows for sure what causes these mouth sores. Doctors have found that canker sores tend to run in families, but that they won’t spread from person to person.

Other experts suspect canker sores are linked to stress, nutrition deficiencies, hormones, menstruation and possibly the foaming agent found in some toothpastes and mouthwashes.

How To Treat Canker Sores

• Over-the-counter medicines are able to numb and reduce swelling of canker sores
• Use toothpaste and/or mouthwash that does not contain SLS
• Apply tea bags to the sores. Appropriate teas include green and black teas.

What To Avoid During Canker Sore Outbreaks

Spicy and acidic foods can irritate canker sores and make them last longer than you’d hope. Try to avoid those as well as any sharp foods that may aggravate and poke the mouth sores. Avoid anything that may irritate the canker sore, including brushing it with your toothbrush.

People rarely get the Herpes Simplex 1 virus inside their mouth.  It usually attacks the outside mouth region like the lips or the nose and chin area.  However, there have been occassions that cold sores have developed inside your mouth.  More likely though, if you have a sore inside your lip you have either bitten your lip and it is now infected or you have a canker sore.

Canker sores aren’t contagious.  Science doesn’t have an answer as to why we get sores inside our mouth like canker sores.

If you have a canker sore they can sting and make your whole mouth feel swollen.  Here are some things you can try to treat the sore inside your lip:

Don’t eat any acidic or spicy food. Once that type of food hits the open, white wound of your canker sore you are going to jump up in pain!  It will sting terribly so don’t eat oranges, pineapple, barbeque sauces or lemonade, etc. until the sore inside your lip has gone away.

It usually takes about 7-12 days for them to completely disappear.

Biting your cheek with your teeth or cutting it with a sharp piece of food like a tortilla chip can cause a canker sore to appear. Try not to bite the inside of your cheeks if you have a habit of doing that when you are nervous.  The abrasion is enough to bring on a canker sore.

Fatigue, stress and allergies all have a tendency to cause you to get canker sores.  It’s difficult to never be stressed, tired or allergic to something but if you pay attention to your body and you are prone to getting sores on the inside of your lip you will be able to tell why you are getting them.  If they erupt when you have been working hard and not sleeping well you will know that if you want to stop getting canker sores you will need to rest more often!

Lips have a large amount of nerve endings in them which makes them extremely sensitive to touch and temperature.  This means that lips are also incredibly sensitive to pain.  Since lips don’t have sweat glands or pores like the rest of your skin, they aren’t as susceptible to pimples.  However, the Herpes Simplex 1 virus feasts on the soft skin of your lips.

Lip sores can’t be cured like a pimple on lip because they are two completely different types of break outs.  A pimple isn’t a virus, it is a clogged pore.  A pimple also isn’t contagious, although it can feel like they are when they all come together at once.  You should never squeeze or pop lip sores in the way that you would a pimple.  This can cause your cold sore to become really irritated and that only causes more throbbing and burning for you to have to deal with.

Lip sores are highly contagious and they come from a virus known as the Herpes Simplex 1 virus.  Also, those who carry this virus in their system will always have it; there is no cure.  There are many ways to prevent lip sores and cold sores from happening just like there is for getting pimples.  However, the prevention does not always work and sometimes we break out no matter our attempts to stop it.

Check out my Cold Sore Freedom in 3 Days review to learn about cold sores and the secrets to treating them and getting them to go away forever!

Most mouth sores will come and go within about 1-2 weeks. If you have mouth blisters that last longer than that, you should consider consulting a medical professional.

You may require a minor surgery to remove damaged cells that produce sores on tongue, cheeks and the roof of your mouth.

In the meantime, there are some things you can do to help ease the pain associated with canker sores, such as avoiding certain foods.

FOODS THAT IRRITATE MOUTH BLISTERS

Foods with Sharp Edges: That means lay off the nachos and chips when you have a canker sores. These foods tend to poke sores which can further irritate them and cause the mouth sores to grow.

Spicy Foods: Spicy and hot foods can aggravate your mouth sore and cause you more short-term pain.

Highly acidic foods or beverages: Stay away from drinks like lemonade and orange juice. Foods that create a slight stinging sensation are best left alone while you are experiencing a mouth blister.

Chewing Gum: This isn’t a harmless candy. Once false move and you could chomp down on a canker sore and inflame it worse than before. Avoid chewing gum, which also can cause your tongue, cheek, lips  and teeth to rub against the mouth blister.

If you are doing any of the things listed here and getting lip sores, fever blisters or mouth sores…then stop!

Infected By Other People

Cold sores are always contagious however, they are most contagious when they break and the sore is weeping.  The pus inside contains thousands of viruses.  Do not kiss or share chap stick or utensils with a person with lip sores!

Stress

Any type of stress to your body can trigger a cold sore.  Being ill, traveling and dental work can all affect the Herpes Simplex 1 virus and it will attack.  Not having good nutrition or enough rest will also make you prone to getting lip sores.

Sun

Long exposure to the sun has been associated with lip sore development.  The sun contains Ultra Violet rays and this is what causes an outbreak.

Reinfected By Yourself

Be sure to wash your hands and all washcloths and towels used on your face during your cold sore infection.  Since lip sores are so contagious you can easily spread the virus to another part of your body or reinfect your mouth with another sore.  Don’t touch at the sore unless you are by a sink with soap and can immediately sanitize your hands!

Hormonal Change

Women are vulnerable to lip sores during their menstrual cycles.  This hormonal change seems to stress the body just enough to cause a skin eruption.  Acne works the same way, puberty/changes in hormonal balance will trigger an outbreak.

The Herpes Simplex 1 virus isn’t completely understood.  Some people are completely immune to getting a cold sore while others can be infected time and time again.  This are only the 5 common causes of lip sores, you could be a healthy person who stays out of the sun, gets plenty of exercise and never leaves home without hand sanitizer and still be a victim of lip sore break outs.

For more information on treatment go to mouth sores treatment.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

There are many steps you can take to help prevent cold sores. Read on for the best home remedies for cold sores prevention.

HOW TO PREVENT COLD SORES NATURALLY

We hate to break the bad news, but you can’t prevent cold sores, also called fever blisters. It’s just not possible.

But you can REDUCE THEIR FREQUENCY.

Here’s a number of ways to help reduce the chances of spurring a lip sore outbreak.

1. Wash Your Hands and Face: This is especially important when you are around someone experiencing an outbreak of mouth sores. By keeping your hands and face clean, you will help limit the chance that you could transfer the Herpes Simplex 1 virus to your body.
2. Avoid Sharing Utensils, Cups, Towels and Toothbrushes: When another person has a cold sore, it’s best to not share anything with them that may touch your mouth and theirs. Sounds simple, but many of us often forget and may share a soda or even a towel. If someone you know has an exposed mouth sore, make sure you have your own supplies.
3. Avoid Kissing: Yes we can’t help this all the time and it puts a damper on the romantic mood. But if you want to avoid passing lip sores between you and your partner, it’s best to avoid kissing them until the fever blister has had a chance to cool off.
4. Avoid Mouth Sore Triggers: Many things can trigger a cold sore outbreak. Get to know what causes your body to sprout lip sores and work to avoid them.
5. Use Sunblock: Overexposure to sunlight can spark a lip sore outbreak. Do your best to not dry out the skin on your lips.
6. Change Your Toothbrush Every 2 Months or Less: Bacteria tends to build up on our toothbrushes and it’s best to keep a fresh brush. Don’t wait for your dentist to hand you a new one ever six months. A fresh toothbrush will help keep your mouth clean and give you better smelling breath
7. Eat a Nutritious Diet: There’s not enough that can be said for eating healthy. Balance the vitamins you take in and make sure you aren’t eating too much grease and oils.
8. Take Lysine: Lysine helps slow the reproduction of viruses, including those that cause Herpes Simplex 1, or coldsores. Potatoes, chicken, beans, dairy and fish have high amounts of Lysine, so eat up. And while you’re at it, don’t eat so much chocolate.
9. Moisturize Your Lips: Keep your lips moisturized using a lotion, lip balm or jelly. This will help prevent them from chapping or drying out.

If you have other thoughts for how to prevent coldsores, share them in the comments on this post. Thanks!