hi lordy

why is that when on holiday that dreaded coldsore appears!!!!!!!!
i too end up with about 3 a year!..more than ever 1 on holiday but i always put it down to the sun drying out my lips!!!

thanks for the tip of "lysine tablets" going to have to buy some!!
i'll try anything once!!

thanks again

lou x

The sun bringing them out is something to do with it re-activating the virus that causes coldsores. I always get them either on holiday or just after returning. (i get them here too)
If one does appear then dab on neat Tea tree oil, its the best thing i have ever used, it kills them before they get the chance to become huge, and also dries them out.

Loulou

hi its me again

tea tree oil didnt work for me neither did bleach, coffee, zovirax, sudacrem, hydrocortizone, perfume or aftershave, god ive tried them all over the years. i know this may seem a bit extreme but thats how often i used to get them i was willing to try anything. but what works for one may not work for another so keep them coming in. im just so glad i dont suffer any more thank god!

lindsay.

Hi all

I always suffered from cold sores wether at home or abroad. They were usually worse when I went away because of the ultra violet rays in the sun bringing them out. I suffered so bad at times they would be on my chin, around my nose and on my lips. Basically I just looked like one big cold sore. I can't remember for the life of me who told me this, but as a really bad sufferer I would have tried anything.I was told to try Hydrogen Peroxide 10% volume(hair bleach), and it is my life saver. When I go away as part of my morning routine I dab some of this on my lips etc neat with a piece of cotton wool. It tingles a bit when you first put it on but I can honestly say I have not had one single cold sore or even one attempting to try and break out since I have used this, and I've been using it for over fifteen years now. Make sure if anyone tries it that you only buy the 10% volume and not any stronger. You can buy it from any chemist.

Regards Jackie

Bleach

I too have suffered dreadfully over the years with the horrible things. I used to get far more than three a year though. It was more like one a month. Once, the doctor signed me off work for a week with one as she said I was so run down. I tried courses of the zovirax tablets which seemed to work at the time but the doctor was not willing to keep giving me the medication due to the fact that it was so expensive and 'not a long-term solution'????? What was then??? Suffer in silence i guess.

Many years later, having moved to Spain, I decided to pay another visit to the doctor about these (although they were less frequent they were still irritating). The doctor sent me for a blood test which showed that my white blood cell count was on the low side (these are the ones that fight disease). He prescribed a multi vitamin tablet which was strong in a particular element (i'm still trying to work out which one as I completely forgot the Spanish word he told me by the time I got to the chemist).

Anyway, i'm happy to say that a simple multi vitamin has worked wonders for me.

I do get the odd one now and again, particularly at social events or Christmas/New Years Eve when everybody kisses each other or if I forget to put protection on in the sun.

I'd like to try Lysine tablets for back up though. Most of the other remedies are for when an outbreak occurs and not prevention.

Incidently, if ever one becomes infected or seems to be hanging around too long an antibiotic cream does the trick.

Anyone fancy a snog?

Hi,

I discovered Sooth Lip, a couple of years ago and it is brilliant, far better than any of the other products available. Can only get it from the pharmacy in Tesco though, they do not stock it is Boots or Superdrug. Havn`t tried any of the small chemists. Its a cream in a very tiny tube that you put on when you feel the `tingle` and it stops them coming or if they `just appear`like they seem to sometimes overnight then it really gets rid of them quickly.

hi jackie

dont mean to sound horrible but i thought it was just me who got them so bad! they used to spread all over between my lips and nose and merge in to one. the name calling i got at school was awful. so glad i found a cure that works for me. my cousins who are 11 and 15 also started taking lysine although my auntie cuts them in half for them as they are quite big tablets but it has worked for them really well.

lindsay. x

If you find that being in the sun brings out cold sores it it's worth getting a lip salve that offers UVB and UVA protection. Boots do them as part of both their No7 and Soltan ranges but I'm sure that there are others on the market. I found that this can really help and haven't had a holiday outbreak in years.

SM

Hi

I think the lip salves and creams etc are ok if you only get the odd one but I used to be like you Lordy, it would seem that as one went another appeared, sometimes loads and they would just blend into each other making one giant one. The lip salves and things never ever worked for me because I could get them anywhere on the bottom half of my face not just my lips. Unfortunately people who suffer from cold sores have at some time been infected with the Herpes virus caught from someone else, as you say Sunnysenorita from people who carry the virus kissing you, possibly even when you were a baby.

Regards Jackie

we've just come back from paris and a few days in the sun bought out a huge coldsore on my poor hubbys face as he is a regular sufferer too only this time it turns out to be impitigo, he went to the docs as this sore wasn;t attached to his mouth like usual..........i'm wondering what that is from, dirty water, or dirty towels in hotels, i wonder.....?? our four year old is calling him,'scabby daddy', poor thing!!!!!!!

Impetigo is a bacterial infection and it can be picked up in any number of ways via a break in the skin but it is commonly from person-to-person contact. It can even be passed on via bites. Frankly he could just as easily have caught it by not washing his hands properly after the loo and then giving his face a scratch. It is very infectious so you do need to make sure that you all maintain good hygiene habits while he's still got the sore. Make sure that any towles he's using are kept well away from those used by other family members etc, scrupulous handwashing after using the loo etc and he shouldn't pass it on to the rest of you. It can be difficult to get rid of and is normally treated by antibiotic pills and topical creams.

SM

Speaking of impetigo, my son got 2 mozzie bites last year and they became infected, 2 great big sores on his back and stomach they were awful. when we returned home our Doctor said it had turned into Impetigo, it took months to clear but did eventually.

Loulou

BLEACH for coldsores, never heard of that one before.
Does it not discolour your skin where you apply it?

Loulou

The 'bleach' is hydrogen peroxide 10% volume - it is the weakest form of it and no it does not discolour your skin or make any other changes other than NO MORE COLDSORES
It is not like the bleach you would put down your loo. Only 10% of the mixture is bleach - you can get higher percentages if you are using it for bleaching your hair.

Regards Jackie

Ah right, i was just wondering if above your lip went a strange shade.

Loulou

only thing with lyscine is that your body can only absorb so much at a time and if you have red meat and eggs in your diet you are already getting maximum dose, its good for coldsore sufferers who are veggies but as a sufferer myself and someone who eats meat and eggs i cant get any more into my diet than i already have

zinc also helps by the way

LouLou

I think even if the hydrogen peroxide had turned above my lip bright orange I would have still used it rather than suffer from the unsightly coldsores that I used to get. But on a more serious note it makes absolutely no changes to your skin at all, just coldsore free.

Regards Jackie

Sounds good, i will have to remember that.

Loulou

sally bear

i do eat red meat and eggs so do my cousins we have all had coldsores from birth yet nothing has ever worked until we started taking lysine tablets. i have taken zinc and tried all of the above suggestions and more to no avail. i started taking lysine tablets just over three years ago before i got married before that i had suffered for 27 years without anything easing the pain or getting rid of them quickly infact zovirax actually used to spread them further. so imagine my relief when i finally found lysine tablets and i can honestly say that in three and a half years i have only had one coldsore and that was because i didnt take a break between bottles. and no before you ask i am not on commision for holland and barratts!!! lol. all i can say is i hope it works for others because i know how self conscious coldsores make you feel.

lindsay.

I have just noticed this thread. I have had coldsores since about age 5 when I got impetigo after picking up a half dead mouse. I have been told there is no connection but I am not sure. Mostly they have been on my lips but when they spread to my nose enough was enough. I am sorry the Zovirax tablets didn't work for some people but they have been a godsend for me. I had to fight for them though as the first doctor I saw said they were only for people with shingles. I have only had 1 coldsore in the last 14 months. I used to like Virbrit available from health food shops but I believe the company that made this lost their licence.