Life is so unfair sometimes! You have to give an important presentation at work, or you have a big date planned for the evening, and then, as if by magic, an unsightly cold sore erupts. At first you notice the little cluster of small, white blisters, and you hope that the full sore won't be visible for a few days, but life is so unfair. When this happens to you, all you want to know is how to get rid of cold sores, and the faster the better!

Cold sores are the result of the herpes simplex virus. As far as medical research can tell, the virus remains dormant in the nerve cells until it is activated by a cold, anxiety, stress, and in some cases, exposure to the sun. A typical cold sore outbreak will last from seven to fourteen days. Anything you can do to shorten that time is a welcome relief.

It should be noted that a cold sore and a canker sore are not the same thing, and therefore are not treated the same way. The basic way to tell them apart is that canker sores are less contagious, and are found on the inside of the mouth, whereas cold sores are on the outside of the mouth and are highly contagious. Be sure you know what you are treating before trying any treatment remedies.

A common way of treating cold sores is simply trying to cover them up with makeup (yes, some men have tried this method, too). To be blunt, this doesn't work. Not only can it slow down the healing process, but by trying to cover it up, it actually draws more attention to the problem area. That's the opposite of what you want to happen, so avoid using a cover up unless you really have to, and then only if the cold sore is relatively small and you won't be covering it up for a lengthy amount of time.

You may not be able to do much to cover up a cold sore, but you can do things to make it feel better and go away a bit sooner. While you may not be able to make it disappear overnight, you should be able to start experiencing some level of relieve within the first day or two. 

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If you have frequent outbreaks of cold sores, then you should talk to your doctor. This could be a sign that something else is going on, and only a qualified medical professional will know for sure. Also, if it is a severe enough case, your doctor may choose to prescribe medication to help you with your cold sores.

Cold sores are painful, which is why using an over the counter pain reliever can help. It doesn't get rid of cold sores, but it does help to make them more bearable. Be careful to avoid getting any salty foods near your sore, as they will greatly increase the pain for a short amount of time. There are specific over the counter remedies for treating cold sores, but you may have to go through a bit of trial and error before you find one that works best for you.

How to get rid of cold sores isn't always an easy question to answer, but the above options should get you on the right track.

Keywords: Cold Sores, Herpes Simplex Virus, Cold Sore Treatment, Canker Sores, Cold Sore Remedies, Pain Reliever, Over The Counter, Cold Sore Relief, Contagious Cold Sores, How To Get Rid Of Cold Sores

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