What is a Cold Sore? 

A cold sore is also known as HSV-1. It is a virus that can be easily transmitted. Cold sores are usually called “fever blisters”. It is a group of painful, small, fluid-filled blisters that appear on the skin. Commonly, the cold sore appears around the nose, face, or mouth. Potentially, it could be in the lip area or inside your mouth. Cold sores usually last 1 to 2 weeks. On the bright side, there are multiple cold sore treatments.

 Cold sores have 4 phases that you should know. Here are the following::

1. Itching and tingling sensation happen between 12 to 24 hours before the eruption of blisters.
2. You will feel the blisters appear filled with fluid in them.
3. The following sequence will make your blisters explode, discharge, and create pain surrounding the cold sore area.
4. After weeks of dealing with cold sores, you will feel them dry out and heal. You will feel it scab over the blister and experience cracking. The cold sore will eventually heal and in the end, the scab will fall off.

Once you have already had a cold sore it will stay on your skin for the rest of your life. Usually, it causes another cold sore. Most of the people who are exposed to the virus in their youth after skin-to-skin close contact. Cold sores aren’t usually severe, but the infection might be alarming in some cases. Cold sores could be life-threatening especially when you’re immunocompromised. Thankfully, you can use a treatment for cold sores to prevent further complications.

Here are the symptoms of cold sores: 

1. Headache

A primarily cold sore is an infection that would give you multiple aches in your body. Headaches occur whenever it’s your first time experiencing a cold sore. If it’s your first time having a cold sore it would probably be the worst.

2. Fever

It is common to have a fever whenever you have a cold sore. Fever occurs in those who have cold sores because there’s a viral infection going on inside your body.  Fever lasts 7 to 10 days

3. Aches and pains

The aches and pains are commonly caused by blisters. In severe cases of a cold sore, you may experience pus oozing from the blisters. You should seek medical help whenever the pain is not tolerable or whenever there’s pus. Infection occurs whenever the pus is present.

4. Sore throat

Whenever you have a cold sore, it is very possible to have a sore throat. A sore throat is an indication that your body is telling you that you’re dealing with an infection. This usually occurs whenever you have a weak immune system. 

5. You become Irritable

Irritation from exposure to common viruses that could be responsible for cold sores could be the main reason for being irritable. The cold sore could cost you less composure and concentration. These are the possible effects whenever you have a cold sore.

Cold Sore Treatments

There are a lot of ways you could treat your cold sores. There are cold sore treatments over the counter that could give you relief from the pain you’re experiencing. 

In this part of the article, we will be giving you tips on how to treat a cold sore. Some of the treatments will help you to ease the pain or make the cold sore not last long. These are the methods by which you could treat cold sores: 

1. Rest

There is no cure for cold sores, but there are treatments for them. You could consider resting most of the time, especially when you’re encountering intolerable pain and aches.

2. Wear Skincare Products

There are skincare products you should consider using. This will benefit your skin for a much faster healing process. This could help you prevent it whenever your skin is dry and at risk of a cold sore. Moisturizers are a good choice. You can apply these types of products whenever you feel like your skin is prone to cold sores.

3. Pain Relievers

There are over-the-counter pain relievers if you have been experiencing pain. This could help you out with your fever and experience a tolerable healing process.

4. Cold and Warm Compress

A cold compress can help you reduce the redness and speed up the healing process. Finally, a warm compress will allow you to help ease the pain.

Can Climate Change Cause Cold Sores? 

The answer is yes. It is plain and simple. The weather has changed drastically recently due to climate change, and this could be responsible for people having cold sores. The transition of weather from sunny to cold and vice versa could stimulate people to have cold sores.

 Exposure to changes in weather could cause you to get cold sores. Humidity or air moisture could help the virus avoid producing blisters and cold sores. Also, the colder temperatures and dry air could make your skin dry out, which puts you more at risk of a blister.

Cold Sore Triggers

There are a lot of triggers that could give you a cold sore. You should be careful whenever you have a cold sore before since it could be easily triggered. Here are the triggers that could help you prevent having one: 

1. Stress

You could take a break from things that could give you stress. If you’re feeling that you’re about to catch a cold sore you should consider taking a rest.

2. Frequent weather changes

The weather changes could affect and trigger cold sores. Humidity is a trigger for having cold sores. Cold temperatures and dry air can make your skin dry and crack, which could lead to a cold sore. A large amount of sunlight exposure could trigger cold sores as well. You should consider applying sunscreen or bringing an umbrella before going out on a sunny day.

3. Fatigue

This is a major common factor in having a cold sore. A weakened immune system will increase the chances of having a cold sore. You should consider getting good-quality rest for your body; this would give you an immunity boost. 

Conclusion

Cold sores are common and are usually no cause for concern. However, they may cause you pain and leave you with further complications if you leave them untreated. You should always be cautious when you have a cold sore so that you do not give it to anyone else. And remember to treat your cold sores so that they don’t cause you any pain!