Cold sores and fever blisters can be bad enough on their own. Treating it is likely the only thing on your mind. Thankfully, they are fairly manageable with the right over-the-counter treatment options and a bit of time.
But, have you ever thought about how your state of mind, a ‘trauma’ to your body, or emotions, might affect cold sores? Can stress cause cold sores to flare up? To learn the answer to this, it’s important first to know that when you have a cold sore, it is a form of the herpes virus.
Once you have that particular virus, it remains in your body, no matter what. Typically, the virus lays dormant, so you aren’t continually getting cold sores. Studies have shown, however, that a stressful situation can cause a flare up of cold sores or fever blisters.
Stress affects our skin in many ways. More often than not, these ways are harmful and damaging. Our bodies aren’t meant to deal with constant stress. But, in a world that moves so quickly, it’s impossible not to experience it from time to time. Fever blister flare-ups are just one way that our body responds. If you already have the HSV-1 virus (herpes) inside you, flare-ups can happen anytime.
Stress can push these outbreaks along by weakening our immune system. The cells our body uses to fight back against such things are compromised, in a way. This allows the virus to sneak its way through. That doesn’t mean you’ll get multiple cold sores.
When we think of stress and how it affects our bodies, it’s easy to think of mental stress, first. That’s a factor that causes cold sore flare-ups. However, there are a few other stress types to consider. Once you know what they are, it may be easier to manage your flare-ups.
A cold sore on the lip is most common. No one knows for sure what causes them to appear in that area. The prevailing theory is that the lips are a sensitive part of the body and are more prone to dryness and exposure to the sun. Keep a chapstick with you and use it if you notice the symptoms of a cold sore.
Fever blisters can appear on your nose. They still burn and are painful, but not quite as much as they burn when on your lips because you don’t stretch the skin as much as you do your mouth.
When you get a sore inside of your mouth, it’s called a canker sore. It is not a fever blister, and it’s essential that it is treated differently. One of the treatments that we recommend is Durham’s Canker-Rid. Cold sores are treated with proven ingredients, and if they are put in the mouth, they will mix with the saliva and get into your body. This could make you ill. Even natural ingredients, such as tea tree oil, can cause you to feel sick.
It’s better to prevent cold sores from showing up than to have to treat them after an outbreak. There are a few prevention methods to consider when you think about the types of stress involved in these potential flare-ups.
If you do have a flare-up, you should treat it as quickly as possible. Using a medicated, topical cream is typically one of the most useful options. Not only can they help to stop the pain, but they can reduce some of the other unsightly symptoms.
Understand that no treatment will remove the virus entirely. Even after your cold sore goes away, the herpes virus remains in your body. But, it’s what you can do to keep it in a dormant state that makes all the difference. Try to manage your stress as much as possible, and keep cold sores at bay.
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