Cold sores medicines use a variety of non-prescription ingredients to address the most obvious symptoms of cold sore outbreaks.
While cold sore medicine cannot rid the body of the virus that causes cold sores it can reduce the severity of outbreaks and shorten their length.
The ability to address the length and severity of cold sore outbreaks is the most obvious benefit of these medicines, but it is not the only one.
17 Benefits Of Cold Sore Medicines
The benefits of OTC cold sore medicines are many and include:
1: Cold sore medicines are effective.
The best thing about cold sore medicines is that they are remarkably effective at stopping the development of cold sores and facilitating the healing process. While a cold sore medicine cannot ‘cure’ a person of the virus that causes cold sores, it can reduce the number of outbreaks and shorten their duration. Those are two very important things for people living with the threat of cold sores.
2: Cold sore medicines can reduce the discomfort of cold sores.
Cold sores are not just unsightly, they are often painful. One of the many great things about the best cold sore medicines is that they can significantly reduce the pain and discomfort associated with cold sores. They do this by first arresting the spread of the virus, and then by providing various ingredients, such as essential oils (1), that help restore skin in the affected area.
3: Cold sore medicines speed up healing time.
Nothing is worse than having to wait 10 or 14 days for an unsightly and irritating cold sore to run its course. The good news is that you don’t have to. The best cold sore medicines can reduce the amount of time it takes for a cold sore to clear up from a couple of weeks to a few days. Everyone’s experience will be slightly different, but most will see significant shortening of the recovery time.
4: Cold sore medicines are available without a prescription.
Most effective medicines require a visit to the doctor and a prescription to obtain. Cold sore medicines are a welcome exception to that rule. All you need to purchase a cold sore medicine is an internet connection and a credit or debit card. Either that, or you can walk to your local pharmacy and pick one up.
5: Cold sore medicines may prevent cold sores from forming.
Most cold sore medicines address the outbreak directly by having you apply a balm or ointment to the cold sore itself. But others go a step further. These are orally administered cold sore medicines. They leverage the power of medicinal herbs to boost the immune system and prevent the cold sore outbreak from happening in the first place.
6: Cold sore medicines may prevent cold sores from spreading.
Most cold sores start small and gradually expand over the first few days of the outbreak. Cold sore medicine can prevent this from happening. Once you sense an outbreak, apply it right away and keep using it as often as needed. The earlier you apply the medicine, the sooner it will get to work preventing the spread of the sore.
7: Cold sore medicines use natural ingredients.
Most prescription medications are conjured up in laboratories and contain a laundry list of manmade chemical compounds with names that are nearly impossible to pronounce. Cold sore medicines by contrast contain things like zinc, lysine (2), aloe vera, and jojoba oil. These natural ingredients are all known quantities that have been used safely in traditional medicine for centuries.
8: Cold sore medicines are affordable.
The cost of prescription drugs has gone through the roof in recent years, and the upward trend does not seem likely to stop any time soon. Cold sore medicine though, remains affordable, regardless of which type of medicine you choose. It is truly one of the great values in contemporary healthcare.
9: Cold sore medicines are mostly free of side effects.
Cold sore medicines are not just safe and effective, they are not just natural and affordable, and they are not just readily available, they are also devoid of side effects. It is one of the many things that separate them from most other types of medication.
10: Cold sore medicines are non-addictive.
All too often a person simply looking for relief from the pain and discomfort of a particular condition winds up getting addicted to the medication that was supposed to help them. That will not happen with cold sore medicine. There are no addictive compounds used in the formulation of these products. Nothing that will wind up coming back to haunt the user in the long run.
11: Cold sore medicines work fast.
In most cases, a cold sore will take up to two weeks to clear. For some folks, this does not present a problem. Others, however, have no desire to walk around with a cold sore on their face for two weeks. While there are no guarantees, many of the best cold sore medicines can arrest the development of a cold sore in just a couple of days and clear it completely in under a week.
12: Cold sore medicines give your immune system a helping hand.
It is estimated that as many as 3% of American adults have weakened immune systems (3). That may not seem like many, but it actually works out to about 8 million people in the US alone. Fighting off something like a cold sore is not always a straightforward thing for these folks. A cold sore medicine can give their battered immune system much-needed assistance.
13: Cold sore medicines will not produce adverse drug interactions.
There is nothing in over the counter cold sore medications that will produce an adverse drug interaction. So if you are currently taking prescription medication for any reason, you can also use cold sore medicine without worrying. If you have any doubts or questions, ask your doctor.
14: Cold sore medicines contain ingredients that provide additional benefits.
Ingredients like MCT oil and aloe vera can help in treating cold sores. But beyond that, they also provide numerous benefits to your skin. While it is not exactly common, cold sores have been known to leave scars behind (4). MCT oil and aloe vera can facilitate proper healing of the affected area and reduce the odds of scarring.
15: Cold sore medicines can help protect others.
The longer the cold sore hangs around on a person’s face, the greater the chance they will accidentally transmit the virus to someone else. That someone else could be a loved one, or it could be a worker in a restaurant who touches a fork or spoon that came in contact with someone’s cold sore. The faster the cold sore can be eliminated, the better off everyone is.
16: Cold sore medicines can help kids with cold sores.
We use the word ‘unfortunate’ a lot when discussing HSV-1 because it is a very unfortunate condition with no cure. Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of this virus is that it often affects children. Fortunately, because they use natural ingredients, cold sore medicines are generally regarded as safe to use on children. Still, it is wise to discuss the matter with your pediatrician first.
17: Cold sore medicines can improve quality of life.
As of this writing, there is no cure for the virus that causes cold sores, although that may be about to change in the near future (5). But just because there is no cure, that does not mean you have to accept life on the cold sore’s terms. Cold sore medicines can reduce the frequency and severity of outbreaks, and in doing so, can significantly enhance your overall quality of life.
Conclusion
Cold sore medicines reduce the severity of cold sore outbreaks, shorten recovery time, are available without a prescription and are well within most peoples’ budget. Some may even be able to head off cold sore formation before it begins. If cold sores are an issue in your life consider using one of the many OTC cold sore medicines.