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Without treatment, cold sore should heal within 2 weeks.
Pharmacist

Depending on how bad it is, we can use over the counter medications to take care of this.

Let's take a look at what is available over the counter to help with the symptoms of a  cold sore and use this information to manage this cold sore your child is experiencing effectively.

Child with cold sore touching her lip


Docosanol

This blocks the herpes Simplex Virus from entering skin cells.

When used at the first sign, it may shorten healing time by about a day or two.

Example Abreva®

 

Pain relieving creams

Camphor, benzyl alcohol, phenol, thymol, menthol, benzocaine, lidocaine.

These are pain relief ingredients commonly used in cold sore formulations. They are basically numbing agents that will make the child less aware of the cold sores and reduce scratching or touching.

Numbing the area will reduce itching and pain associated with the damaged skin of the lips.

 

Skin protectants

Zinc oxide, allantoin, petroleum jelly

They help keep the area moist and prevent cracking which can lead to pain especially during the scabbing stage.

They also act as a barrier to protect the skin and lips from external irritants.

They are useful during the scabbing stage to make scabs less likely to crack and bleed.

 

Pain relief +  protectants

Anbesol cold sore therapy®, Orajel single dose®.

The goal of these products is to combine pain relief with lip protection. This should make the child comfortable enough reducing awareness of the cold sore while it is healing on its own.

 

Antiseptics

Benzalkonium chloride.

This prevents  secondary bacterial infection of the affected area speeding up healing time. 

It acts to reduce the level and risk of bacterial infection from touching and other external irritants.

 

Antiseptics + pain relievers

Bactine® (lidocaine + benzalkonium).

This combination is actually very useful in cold sores. The combination of numbing, anti-itch, antiseptic, pain relief reduces your awareness of the cold sore, reduces the urge to touch the area, and not disturbing the cold sore makes it heal faster.

We strongly recommend you add this to the treatment regimen especially at the blistering stages.

 

Lemon balm

Lip balms containing 1% lemon extract shorten the healing time, prevent it from spreading and reduce recurrences.

Example Cold sore relief®

 

Lysine

Increase lysine intake to replace the arginine on skin cells thereby depriving the virus of arginine needed for replication.

 

Others

  • Red eyes relief eye drops:
    To take the red out of cold sores on the skin. Use this if you want to reduce people noticing the cold sore which we all do anyway.

  • Ice

  • Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)
  • Hydrocortisone 1% cream
    Use in extreme cases of inflammation only. It may delay healing time.

 

Last updated by pharmacist on : 02/16/2016

 

Let's use this information to choose a good over the counter remedy to help with your child's cold sore.

 


Which of the symptoms listed below is your child experiencing right now?
Pharmacist

Girl with cold sore touching her lip

Choose the nature of this cold sore from the list below and see what you can use over-the-counter.

 

 

Selection require docosanol.
Pharmacist

 

Selection require an anti-inflammatory agent.
Pharmacist

 

Selection require an analgesic.
Pharmacist

 

Selection require an antiseptic.
Pharmacist

 

Selection require ointment protectants.
Pharmacist

 

Selection require supplements that help with cold sore.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or an analgesic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or an antiseptic cream or ointment
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and also supplements will be useful.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an anti-inflammatory and / or analgesic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an anti-inflammatory and / or antiseptic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an anti-inflammatory and / or protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an anti-inflammatory and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an analgesic and / or antiseptic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an analgesic and protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an analgesic and supplements that work for cold sores.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an antiseptic and protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require an antiseptic and supplements that work on cold sores.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require skin lip protectants and supplements that work on cold sores.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory with analgesic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory with antiseptic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory with protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory with cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic with antiseptic cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic with protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic with cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or antiseptic with protectant cream or ointment.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or antiseptic with supplements to help with the cold sore.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or protectant cream or ointment and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiseptic creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic and protectant creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and protectant creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, lip protectants and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require analgesic, antiseptic and protectant creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require analgesic, antiseptic and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require analgesic, lip protectant and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require antiseptic, lip protectant and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiseptic creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic and lip protectant creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and lip protectant creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, antiseptic creams or ointments with cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, lip lip protectants and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic, antiseptic and lip protectant creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic, antiseptic and using cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic, lip lip protectants and cold sore supplements.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or antiseptic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic and lip protectants creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic creams or ointments with cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require analgesic, antiseptic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic and lip protectants creams or ointments.
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or analgesic, antiseptic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, lip protectants and cold sore supplements
Pharmacist

 

Symptoms require docosanol and / or anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, lip protectants and supplements
Pharmacist

 

Something to prevent?

 

Preventive measures


1. Definitely, reduce your child's stress level. Stress will activate the herpes virus.

2. Reduce sun exposure or use sun block.

3. Have child avoid close or direct contact with someone with active cold sores.

 

All of these?
You must have this coldsores really bad.
Pharmacist

Child must have this cold sore really bad. Must seek the help or a healthcare professional.

 

None of these?
We must have left something out.

Please choose what closely compares to what your child is experiencing and see what is recommended.

Seek Urgent Care
Using over-the-counter medication is not recommended.

Your child will need to see a healthcare provider. Nothing over-the-counter will take care of this.

docosanol

This blocks the herpes Simplex Virus from entering the skin cells where it can replicate.

The result is a cold sore with lesser symptoms, severity and shorter duration.

When used at the first sign, the tingling stage, it may shorten healing time by about a day or two.

Avoid the store brand equivalents. Some stores promote a substitute by providing similar packaging as the original, but there is none. If you read the ingredients carefully, you will find it does not contain the active ingredient docosanol.

Brand name: Abreva®

 

 

anti-inflammatory

NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs)

Give the child Ibuprofen or naproxen to help with the pain and inflammation.

 

 

analgesic

You will need to numb the area to prevent itching and reduce pain.

Camphor, benzyl alcohol, phenol, thymol, menthol, benzocaine, lidocaine are ingredients that will do this.

 

 

antiseptic

This will help prevent a secondary bacterial infection of the affected area speeding up healing. 

Using benzalkonium chloride will act to reduce the level and risk of bacterial infection.

 

 

lip protectants

The affected area needs to be kept moist and also, you need to prevent cracking which can lead to pain and bleeding.

Skin protectants also act as a barrier to protect the skin and lips from external irritants.

Look for Zinc oxide, allantoin, or just use petroleum jelly (vaseline) you may have at home.

 

 

supplements

Lysine is used to replace and deplete the arginine on skin cells that the virus needs for replication.  

If your child is prone to cold sores, you may want to give this daily or give when your child feels something is coming on.

 

 

Combination Products

1. Pain relief + Antiseptic

This combines numbing agent lidocaine with the antiseptic benzalkonium chloride. We love this combination and recommend it if your child has not tried it before. Example Bactine®    

2. Pain relief + Skin protectant

Numbing the area with a numbing agent will reduce itching, pain and combining with a skin protectant should speed up healing and make this cold sore less disruptive to your child.
Example Anbesol cold sore therapy®, Orajel single dose®

 

 

Worth doing

Reducing the redness

Styptic pencil. This is an astringent that stops bleeding from nicks and cuts while shaving. It should help reduce the redness by shrinking the tiny capillary skin blood vessels exposed during the cold sore infection.

Eye drops. Use redness-reducing eye drops to take the redness away. 1 to 2 drops should do it preferably 3 times a day. If they can reduce the redness of the eyes, they should help with the inflamed skin.

 

 

Last updated by pharmacist on 02/16/2016

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Know this about the safe and effective use of this recommendation.
Article photo

Our disclaimer

  • Recommendation is the opinion of a registered US Pharmacist currently practicing as a community pharmacist.
  • Recommendation is not an attempt to discuss all possible self care or treatment approach to this health challenge.
  • The responsibility of the recommending pharmacist is limited to this question:
    "If a patient presents with these symptoms, what will you recommend and why?"
    It is not an attempt to publish an article on the treatment of any condition. Just what would you tell a patient who present with so and so in the usual course of your practice.
  • The pharmacist image presented in this article may or may not be the actual image of the authoring pharmacist.
    Because we insist on using articles written by currently practicing community pharmacists, these pharmacists may choose to remain anonymous especially if they are employed by an employer to avoid being pressured to recommend a particular product to drive sales.
  • Please read the policies and terms of use for self-care OTC, selfcarepharmacist.com and it's affiliates by clicking on the button below.

 

 

 

 

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