Have you ever had a cold sore? I haven’t, but several people in my family do get cold sores from time to time. At one time I was told that cold sores are hereditary, but that’s not true at all! Some people get them, while others don’t. I still don’t really know why I’ve been so lucky to never have one (knock on wood), but I’m not complaining! They look painful and definitely something I don’t want to have. However, if you are one of the millions upon millions of people that do suffer from occasional cold sores, I’ve put together some tips for preventing cold sores as well as what you can do to heal them!

What are Cold Sores?

A cold sore is an inflamed blister in or near the mouth, caused by the herpes simplex virus. Now, as I mentioned, I’ve never experienced a cold sore, but I have experienced blisters, either caused by shoes rubbing against my heels or burning myself taking things out of the oven. I know how badly those bother me. I can’t even imagine having that in or near my mouth. Symptoms of cold sores range from a burning or tingling sensation around the mouth; they can cause redness and swelling; and, often times, the blister will pop and a liquid will ooze out, causing the area to scab over.

What Causes Cold Sores?

Like many things, cold sores can be caused by a number of different factors. One of those factors, and the one I’ve heard about most often, is stress. Basically, when we become overly stressed out, our immune system weakens and it allows the cold sore to attack. Cold sores are highly contagious. If you don’t get a cold sore from a bout of stress, you could also get one from kissing an infected person or sharing lip balm, straws or eating utensils with an infected person.

Tips for Preventing Cold Sores

1. Protect those lips – use a lip balm that has an SPF 21. Not only will this help protect your lips from damaging sun rays, but also infections that attack chapped lips.
2. Keep stress low – since stress is a well-known cause of cold sores, finding ways to reduce your daily stress is important. You can do things like meditating, exercising, reading a book, etc. to reduce your stress level.
3. Avoid touching lips – be sure to avoid kissing, sharing drinks and kitchen utensils and lip balms with someone who has a cold sore.

*This is a partnered post

Healing a Cold Sore

You know I am all about products with natural ingredients. Lip Clear Lysine+ is a natural cold sore ointment! It has been shown to reduce the healing time in half! The nice thing about Lip Clear Lysine+ is that you can find it at stores near you!

For those of you that would prefer the ease and convenience of ordering online, you can do so by visiting quantumhealth.com. Be sure to use the cold HEALTHYLIPS to receive 10% off your order (good through April 2017. Limited to 1 per customer).

If you suffer from cold sores, have you ever used Lip Clear Lysine+?