Ok so cold sores are like the worst thing ever, right? One day you’re chillin and next thing u know theres this ugly blister on your lip or near your mouth and its all red and painful and u just wanna get rid of it fast. Like, seriously who got time for a cold sore? Problem is these things usually take like a week or even more to go away so getting rid of one in just 24 hours is kinda wishful thinking. But hey, theres some stuff you can do to maybe make it feel better or smaller in a day, and that’s what I’ll tell ya.
First of all, what even causes these things? Its this herpes simplex virus thing (HSV-1 or something) and loads of people got it but not everyone gets cold sores. The virus is chillin in your nerves and then when your immune system is tired or ur stressed or sick it wakes up and boom you got a cold sore.
If u wanna get rid of it fast the key is to start treating it ASAP like the second u feel that tingling or burning before the sore even pops up. This is called the prodrome phase or whatever fancy doctors call it. If u wait till the sore is all crusty and gross, ur chances of healing faster go way down.
One thing that helps is those antiviral creams u can get at the drug store like Abreva (which has this thing called docosanol). If u put that stuff on right away and keep putting it on every few hours it can help stop the virus from spreading and maybe shorten the time it sticks around. Its not magic tho and if u wait too long it wont do much.
Some people also get prescription creams from the doctor like acyclovir but u gotta see a doc for those. Pills like acyclovir or valacyclovir also work but again only if u start them super early, otherwise no use. And you can’t just buy those without a prescription so if u wanna try that u gotta get an appointment or something.
Dont pick or touch the sore!!! This is super important cause if u do u can spread the virus to other parts of ur face or even other people and u dont want that trust me. Also wash ur hands a lot especially if u touched it.
Cold compresses help with pain and swelling so put ice wrapped in a towel on it for a few minutes. Dont put ice straight on skin or u will get a burn or something stupid. Also some people say putting aloe vera or honey or lemon balm on it helps but I’m not sure how much they do really.
Another thing is sunscreen!!! Even if it’s cold outside the sun can make cold sores worse or bring them back so put some lip balm with SPF or sunscreen on your lips if ur gonna be outside a lot.
Drink lots of water and rest too cause ur immune system needs to be strong to fight the virus. Stress makes cold sores worse and last longer so try not to freak out.
So can u really get rid of a cold sore in 24 hours? Honestly, no, not really. It usually takes about a week but starting treatment early and doing the stuff I said can help make it heal faster or hurt less which is something.
If ur cold sores keep coming back a lot or last forever or are super painful go see a doctor cause they might give u stronger meds.
So yeah just remember start treatment as soon as u feel tingling, dont pick, keep it clean, use cold compress, protect from sun, drink water, and try to chill. Hopefully ur cold sore will be less annoying fast.