Each person has his own weak points in the body. Some people get a sore throat at the slightest hypothermia, others suffer from a runny nose at the first sign of a cold. There is a group of people who know about a cold in the body by characteristic inflammation on the lips. The reason for this is the infectious viral disease herpes, which almost every person on the globe has. However, not everyone gets cold sores, simply because most infected people are simply carriers of the virus. Today we’ll talk about colds on the lips - how and why they appear, as well as how to treat herpes with folk remedies and medications.
Pregnant
Most women in an interesting situation have a reduced immune system, which provokes the appearance of herpes and the exacerbation of various diseases. It is during pregnancy that the expectant mother may encounter the virus for the first time.
First of all, you need to notify your doctor about the presence of a cold on the lips. After the examination methods have been carried out, he will tell you what to apply to a cold on the lips during pregnancy.
In the second and third trimester, many medications familiar to the average person are not recommended. It is also undesirable to take pills that a woman could use to treat herpes earlier.
During pregnancy, you can use antiherpetic lipsticks based on tea tree extract. You can also use traditional methods. Acyclovir remains an approved drug for pregnant women. The ointment is applied to the affected areas. Its components are not absorbed into the blood. It is this factor that is considered positive; the ointment will not harm the fetus.
Prevention
The activity of herpes viruses is restrained by the body's natural defenses, therefore, to prevent primary infection and relapse of the disease, care should be taken to increase immune strength. To do this, you need to exercise regularly, stop drinking alcohol and smoking, take vitamins and eat right.
For people suffering from immunodeficiency conditions, to prevent herpes on the lips, it is important not only to follow nonspecific prevention measures, but also to take antiviral drugs. The required dosage and duration of therapy is determined by the doctor.
To prevent primary infection and relapse of the disease, care should be taken to increase immune strength. For example, you should play sports.
Treatment in a child
In most cases, colds on the lips in children may appear as a result of acute respiratory infections. Although this problem is caused by the herpes virus. It is worth understanding that herpes does not appear suddenly. First of all, a burning sensation and pain appears in a certain area of the lip. Many mothers wonder what to apply to a cold on their child’s lips. If certain symptoms occur, it is important to turn to antiherpetic ointments in a timely manner. The disease should be extinguished at its initial stage by lubricating the affected area up to five times a day. If you couldn’t cope with the disease right away, you can make lotions. The ideal option is previously brewed tea bags or chamomile flowers. Such treatment may take at least a week, or even more.
It is necessary to limit your child's consumption of sweets. Include fermented milk products and fish in the menu. Experts recommend taking vitamins.
If the treatment process at home goes smoothly and the rashes do not increase, you can treat yourself. If your child has become capricious and constantly scratches his wounds, you should consult an infectious disease specialist. The child’s immunity can be greatly weakened, and therefore it will be quite problematic to cope with the problem that has arisen.
For children, you can use zinc ointment, which is an excellent option for eliminating the disease. It is better to treat the affected area with a cotton swab. If you do not adhere to this rule and smear it with your finger, you can spread the virus into your eyes. As a result, there is a risk of viral conjunctivitis, accompanied by lacrimation and photophobia. In some cases, complications may arise that can lead to blindness.
Symptoms of the disease
The herpes virus can remain dormant in the body for a long time, but it is enough for the immune system to weaken for the disease to make itself felt. Quite often, the disease can begin to progress under the influence of colds, AIDS, pregnancy, diabetes and other ailments.
But what are the symptoms of herpes? How to recognize it? According to the first signs:
- formation of blisters and ulcers;
- painful sensations on the lips or burning sensation;
- unbearable itching in the lips;
- swelling of tissues at the site of manifestation of the disease;
- increased body temperature;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
It is worth remembering that if, along with a cold, the patient experiences conditions such as fever, chills and loss of consciousness, then you should immediately consult a doctor. These can be ominous symptoms of a complication of the disease.
Treating colds on the lips at home with toothpaste
There is an opinion that as soon as an inflamed lesion appears on the lip, it should be covered with a thin layer of toothpaste. Can you treat a cold on your lip with toothpaste? This method is acceptable, since the substance contains components that prevent the proliferation of viruses and bacteria. This method gives a high percentage of cure in a short time. You can reduce the threshold for inflammation by lubricating the affected areas with a thin layer of toothpaste. The product is left overnight. You should wash it off in the morning. In most cases, it is advisable to apply toothpaste no more than three times a day. Otherwise, you can harm the delicate skin of your lips.
In some cases, a burning sensation occurs and the skin becomes even more inflamed. If you experience such symptoms, it is important to immediately wash off the paste and not use this method again. Here we can talk about an allergic reaction.
Nuances of the method:
- To do everything correctly and get the desired result, it is important to choose a paste that contains only natural substances.
- Most formulations are based on alcohol and menthol, which dry out the bubbles. But they can also become allergens.
- It is not advisable to apply a product based on fragrances.
- An excellent option would be a paste with phytocomponents.
- If you follow the recommendations described above, you can see how the herpes blisters will decrease, the itching will stop, and after some time the wound will dry out. The advantages of the method also include the fact that the paste contains urea, which has a detrimental effect on harmful viruses and bacteria.
- Experts observed ideal results when applying toothpaste with fluoride. This can be explained by the fact that the substance has the ability to destroy the structure of bacterial cell membranes. In combination with urea, fluorine achieves the greatest effectiveness.
- It is prohibited to use toothpaste in the form of a gel, since this composition can cause allergies.
Stages of development
Labial herpes goes through several stages of development:
- Prodromal stage. This is the first period of the infectious process. It begins with tingling and itching of the skin, followed by hyperemia and swelling of the affected area of the epidermis. There are no other symptoms of herpes.
- Rash formation. Painful herpetic blisters (vesicles) filled with clear liquid appear on the swollen and reddened skin, which quickly merge into one large focus of inflammation. After some time, the contents of the bubble become cloudy.
- Erosive stage. 2-3 days after the appearance, the vesicles burst on their own, and liquid containing a large number of herpes viruses flows out. Ulcers form at this site, which are also accompanied by severe pain and burning.
- Healing. Erosions on the lips gradually heal, becoming covered with yellow-brown crusts, which completely disappear after 3-9 days, leaving no scars.
A person suffering from labial herpes is contagious from the moment the very first symptoms of the disease appear until all the rashes on the lips are covered with crusts.
How to choose pasta
To eliminate discomfort and cope with colds, you need to purchase a paste based on medicinal herbs. It should contain chamomile, menthol, and oak bark.
Under no circumstances should you use a product intended for teeth whitening. Otherwise, the active substances will penetrate deep into the skin and cause a burning sensation and pain. Such a wound will take longer to heal.
It is better to purchase the paste at a pharmacy. This way you can avoid fakes.
When using toothpaste as a treatment for colds on the lips, you should understand that each person's body is different. This method may be ideal for one person, but another will have to turn to another remedy.
Iodine
Many people are interested in whether it is possible to smear iodine on a cold on the lip. However, there are several opinions on this matter. Some traditional healers recommend this method, others reject it, arguing that it can cause burns.
For the method to really help cope with the problem, it is important to know how to apply iodine correctly. The procedure is performed only when the first signs of the disease appear. Once the lips have “decorated” the bubbles, the affected area can be smeared with iodine. But in this case it is applied in combination with zinc ointment. The optimal solution would be to purchase iodinol, which, unlike iodine, does not cause burns or skin irritation. It can be used even on existing burns. The product should be applied to inflamed areas in the morning, afternoon and evening. Thus, disinfection occurs, which prevents the spread of pathogenic microbes.
Folk remedies
How to smear a cold on the lips at home? There are many effective folk methods. Here are some of them:
- Grate a small piece of apple and a clove of garlic on a fine grater. The resulting pulp should be put on a bandage and applied to the inflamed areas.
- At the first manifestations of herpes or a cold, you can use earwax. A small amount is applied to the affected area. The procedure is performed several times a day.
- Brewed tea is no less effective. It is very convenient if it is in a bag. It is applied to the lip for 15 minutes several times a day.
- If there are green helpers in the house, such as Kalanchoe or aloe, apply leaves to the affected area. It is advisable to beat the pre-cut leaf a little with a kitchen hammer. This method will be much more effective if you apply the leaf to your lip and secure it with a band-aid overnight. Some relief will be noticeable in the morning. At the initial stage of the disease, this method can easily cure a cold on the lip.
- If desired, it is easy to prepare ointments with your own hands, the basis of which will be calendula petals and petroleum jelly. To prepare the composition, you need to take a teaspoon of the juice of the leaves of the plant and mix it with Vaseline, taken in the same amount. This ointment is convenient to use, spreading it several times a day.
- Among folk remedies, onions are an excellent option. A small slice is applied to the lip with the cut to the affected area.
- If there is fir oil in the house, it is recommended to lubricate the affected areas every two hours in the first minutes of symptoms.
- An excellent effective remedy is soda slurry. A small amount of the product is diluted with hot water and applied to the affected area. After a few hours, a small crust may form on the wound, which does not need to be removed.
- Bring the milk to a boil and add a tablespoon of birch buds into it. The mixture is infused for a quarter of an hour. When the composition has cooled, you need to take out the kidneys, wrap them in gauze and apply them to the sore spots.
- Thrifty housewives can make a unique remedy for colds on the lips on their own. For this purpose, you need to squeeze out the celandine. The resulting juice is carefully poured into a clean bottle, preferably made of glass. Place the container in a cool, dark place. After some time, you should open the bottle a little and release the gases formed due to fermentation. This is a normal process. After 7 days, fermentation will end and the medicine is ready for use.
Medicines for herpes
To get rid of herpes, both antiviral agents and various types of immunomodulators are used, because the appearance of blisters with liquid is a clear sign of reduced immunity. A healthy body resists bacteria well, but if the herpes virus has reached the surface, this indicates a gap in the body’s defense system. It is impossible to leave herpes without proper treatment, otherwise the virus will get stronger and appear not only on the lips, but also on the body in more dangerous forms.
Medicines to combat such colds are available in the form of ointments, creams and tablets. Despite the complexity of the rash, combination treatment is recommended. Of the drugs that can be found in almost any pharmacy, antiviral ointments are considered the most effective. Treatment with their help will be most effective while the cold has not yet appeared on the lip, and only the first signs of its appearance have appeared in the form of tingling, tingling, burning.
Antiviral agents
Antiviral drugs are widely used for the treatment of colds on the lips, the range of which is wide today. The most effective medication, which is aimed at completely eliminating the disease, is Acyclovir. It is sold as tablets for internal use, ointment, cream and lyophilisate. The last option is for solutions. The drug is used to relieve symptoms of herpes type 1:
- Reception. The advantages include good effectiveness and low toxicity, but Acyclovir is not able to fight newer strains of herpes viruses. Tablets begin to be taken when the first signs of herpes appear - 1 pc. 5 times a day. Five days of treatment is enough for therapy. If ulcers have already appeared, then it makes sense to supplement the treatment with Acyclovir ointment.
- Side effects include sleep disturbance, increased drowsiness, pain in the stomach, nausea, peeling of the skin, skin rashes, burning, itching, dizziness, increased fatigue, etc. If they occur, you should stop taking the drug.
- Contraindications include individual intolerance to the drug, pregnancy, liver disease, and breastfeeding.
Another popular antiviral drug is Zovirax. It comes in the form of an ointment. When herpes appears, you need to use a 5 percent drug:
- Treatment. To avoid problems associated with using Zovirax, apply a layer of ointment to the infected areas. In accordance with the instructions, this should be done 5 times daily, excluding contact with healthy areas of the skin or mucous membranes.
- Side effects: severe headaches, redness, peeling of the skin, rashes, allergic reactions, convulsions, central nervous system disorders, etc.
- Contraindications are described for pregnancy, breastfeeding, liver and kidney dysfunction, individual intolerance to the drug or its individual components.
Valtrex is prescribed for various herpetic infections. The therapeutic effect is achieved due to the conversion of the active substance valacyclovir to acyclovir due to the reaction. Used orally, without any connection to meals:
- When treating labial herpes, you need to take 500 mg 2 times a day for 5 days. Advanced forms of the disease can be treated for up to 10 days.
- Side effects include dizziness, headaches, mental retardation, diarrhea, itching, rashes, increased gas formation, etc.
- The main contraindication is hypersensitivity to acyclovir and other components of this drug.
Famciclovir is a good remedy for colds on the lips, available in tablet form. In addition, this drug can be found under the name Famvir:
- Application. The drug is taken at a dose of 500 mg 3 times a day. The number of doses and dosage must be agreed with the doctor, because Famciclovir may have toxic effects on the body.
- Side effects include skin rashes, digestive system disorders, and depression.
- Contraindications. The drug is toxic, so it is not recommended for self-use. Consultation with a knowledgeable specialist is required.
A simple and affordable antiviral agent is Oxolinic ointment. It is used with great success for external use to treat herpes and other diseases. This is a local drug. Brief instructions:
- Application. It must be remembered that 3% ointment is applied to the skin, and 0.25% only to the mucous membranes. The first option can be used to treat rashes on different parts of the body, incl. and on the lips. It is applied to the affected areas of the skin 3 times a day, avoiding contact with mucous membranes.
- The only contraindication is individual intolerance to the components of the drug.
- As for side effects, itching and burning sensations and a blue coloration (washable) may occur. The ointment can even provoke the development of dermatitis.
Immunomodulators
You can stop the spread of the disease, as well as reduce the inflammatory process, with complex treatment using immunomodulators. You can find them in the catalogs of any pharmacy. Some of them are inexpensive. To combat skin lesions around the lips, both synthetic and herbal and bacterial preparations are used. One of the options is Viferon, which is based on the recombinant protein interferon:
- Application. The product is available as an ointment, gel, and suppositories. According to some reviews, the gel-like preparation is more effective on the lips than antiviral ointment, provided that it is applied several times daily. In this case, the course of treatment with antibiotics or antiviral drugs may be halved.
- Side effects. Sometimes allergic reactions and skin rashes develop.
- Contraindication is intolerance to Viferon components.
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Another popular medicine from the group of interferon inducers is Cycloferon. It is available in the form of tablets, ointment and injection solution (in powder form):
- Usage. The use of 5 percent ointment brings a positive effect for herpes. It is applied to the locations of the rashes. Apply the product at least 2 times a day. The duration of therapy is about 5 days. Tablets are taken 1 time/day half an hour before meals without chewing in the appropriate dosage for age.
- There are generally no side effects, but allergies or individual intolerance may occur, so it is recommended to consult a doctor.
- Contraindications. Cycloferon should not be taken during lactation, pregnant women, or children under 4 years of age. The medicine is also contraindicated in patients diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.
Among the drugs of bacterial origin is Broncho-Munal. It contains only natural ingredients, and it is able to stimulate specific immunity, which is aimed at specific pathogens. Available only in capsule form:
- Reception. The duration of the course and dosage when taking Brocho-Munal for preventive purposes is 1 capsule for 10 days. The specific dosage to combat herpes should be agreed with your doctor.
- Side effects are allergic reactions (skin, systemic), short-term rise in temperature, discomfort in the intestines and stomach.
- Contraindications. It should not be given to infants under 6 months of age, and the adult form is not suitable for children under 12 years of age. Should not be used without consultation with a specialist during breastfeeding. It is not advisable to take it for acute intestinal diseases and it is not recommended to treat with capsules in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Another popular immunostimulating drug used in the treatment of herpes is Imudon. It is based on a whole complex of inactive bacterial lysates, the presence of which is due to the need to launch the immune system in an optimal manner:
- Reception scheme. The medicine is administered by dissolving a tablet every two to three hours. The duration of treatment is 10 days. The course is conducted 2 times/year.
- Possible side effects are the following: allergies accompanied by itching and rashes, vomiting and nausea, cough, bronchospasms, fever, hemorrhagic vasculitis.
- The list of contraindications consists of autoimmune diseases, allergies to drug components. It should not be used by children under 3 years of age.
The active ingredient of the drug Polyoxidonium is azoximer bromide, which provides its immunomodulatory qualities. It not only stimulates the immune system, but also has a detoxifying effect:
- Treatment scheme. Polyoxidonium is produced in the form of tablets, injection solution, suppositories for vaginal and rectal use. The dose of the tablet form is selected by the doctor, but often adults are prescribed 12 or 24 mg, and adolescents – 12 mg/day. The course of treatment is from 3 to 5 days.
- There are contraindications, which include pregnancy and breastfeeding, individual intolerance to components, and age under 12 years. Should be taken with caution in acute renal failure.
- There are no reports of side effects when using tablets, but when using suppositories, local reactions are very rarely observed: swelling, redness, itching of the perianal area, vaginal itching.
Levamisole has gained some popularity in the treatment of herpetic ulcers. It has an immunostimulating effect and helps normalize cellular immunity:
- Application. It is better to determine the dosage together with your doctor, but often 0.15 g per day is prescribed once or in three doses of 0.05 g for 3 days in a row every 2 weeks.
- Contraindications are pregnancy, lactation, hypersensitivity to the drug, agranulocytosis.
- Possible side effects include allergic diseases, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.
Infusions and medicinal compositions
What can you use to treat a cold on your lip? In addition to ointments and other remedies, it is recommended to use infusions and medicinal compositions. They are taken orally.
The infusion of chrysanthemum flowers has proven itself to be excellent. You need to take a teaspoon of flowers and brew with boiling water (200 g). The infusion should sit for at least 40 minutes. You should take 150 g 3-4 times a day.
You can also drink vegetable juice. To prepare the composition, take a large apple, a medium-sized beet, three carrots and a little parsley. You need to prepare a juice from these ingredients and let it sit for about an hour. Drink in small portions, spreading the pleasure throughout the day.
Cold prevention
To avoid unpleasant sensations, it is necessary to constantly strengthen the immune system. One of the magical compositions is prepared according to the following recipe: in a meat grinder you need to grind dried apricots, raisins, nuts, lemon, and figs in equal quantities. All ingredients are seasoned with honey. It is recommended to take one tablespoon of this tasty treat on an empty stomach.
Prevention means include reducing physical contact with those who suffer from this disease.
You cannot use the personal belongings of strangers. Towels, utensils, spoons or forks, and lipstick must be personal.