What Are the Causes of Cold Sores?

Cold sores which are popularly known as fever blisters or oral herpes are actually quite painful and unpleasant blisters that usually develop on the edge of your lips. You can find them on other parts of your body also like nostrils, cheek and fingertips. These sores are communicable to another person and many people all over the world become victims of this problem often. A cold-sore takes around three to four weeks to subside and they make you look so dreadful that you cannot even go out for a social gathering with a sore.

These sores are actually triggered by the reproductive cycle of a herpes virus. Even though there are presently eight known human herpes viruses today, only two of them are known to trigger these sores. HSVI are the main culprits that cause around eighty percent of the cold sores all over the world while HSV2 is the main trigger behind around the rest of the twenty percent of these sores. They are transmitted from one person to another through physical contact and even through a cough or a sneeze of the affected victim.

The common indications of a cold sore include scratching and tingling in the area just before the sore is about to pop out, inflammation of the area with the appearance of tiny and extremely painful fluid filled blisters that look like pimples, development of these blisters into hideous and big open sores when they finally break open, headache, temperature and inflamed lymph glands just under the jaw. Finally a yellow scab appears over the area and they heal completely without leaving any traces behind.

There are numerous OTC and prescription remedies to cure cold sores. Even though these creams and ointments may provide a little respite, these sores will take its own time to heal completely. You can treat the other symptoms that you experience along with these sores like fever and headache with the usual drugs that are resorted to treat an ordinary fever.