Does ice help cold sore swelling?

If you’re familiar with the sensation of having a cold sore, then you know they can be incredibly painful and unsightly. As someone who’s dealt with more than their fair share of these pesky little blemishes, I’ve tried everything from herbal remedies to topical creams in an attempt to find some relief. One option that’s often suggested is using ice to help reduce swelling and discomfort. In this article, we’ll explore whether or not there’s any truth behind this popular suggestion.

What Are Cold Sores?

Before diving into our main topic it’s important to understand what cold sores are. A cold sore is a small blister or group of blisters that typically appears on or around the lips caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). This virus causes fluid-filled vesicles that may ooze and crust over causing pain and sometimes fever as well.

While cold sores are generally harmless, they can be incredibly frustrating due to both their uncomfortable symptoms as well as how visible they tend to be.

The Claim: Does Ice Help Reduce Cold Sore Swelling?

One common suggestion for reducing swelling associated with cold sores is applying ice directly onto your skin for several minutes at a time throughout the day leading up until each blister disappears completely.
The idea behind this technique is that placing ice on your face where these annoying spots reside will temporarily numb nerve endings while also constricting blood vessels in order to reduce redness and inflammation.

However convincing such claims may sound; it’s something out there has been able prove either support otherwise makes them quite skeptical.

Understanding How Ice Works

To get an understanding if indeed ice helps heal cold sores quicker let us dive deep into how exactly it works when applied externally:

Cryotherapy

  • Applying extreme frost thermally-induced stress
  • reduces nerve activity causing numbing effect naturally
  • Reducing nerve activity helps alleviate pain, tenderness and hygiene

Ultimately, there seem to be several benefits associated with using ice as a form of cold sore treatment. So it only makes sense on a theoretical basis that applying an ice pack or even holding some frozen peas onto the affected area could help decrease swelling.

How to Use Ice for Cold Sore Relief

Applying ice directly onto the site where your harmless little bubbling blisters have appeared can provide you temporary relief until an appropriate medicine takes over. But remember if this procedure does not fit you; a trip to the pharmacies would probably suffice. But here’s how can use Ice:

Step 1: Preparation

  • Fill small plastic bag and seal
  • Wrap filled small plastic bag with cloth

Step 2: Application

Hold the wrapped plastic bag of ice against any connected lip area impacted by those annoying blisters.
Leave it in place for around five minutes before removing them off, giving your skin time to recover from that chilly sensation.

Alternatives to Using Ice

If for whatever reason placing ic is not what rings in well try out following alternates:

Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera has been touted for years as being one solution capable of calming down irritation caused by much more than just sunburns.

This plant’s gel contains natural ingredients which aid in reducing inflammation along with attacking viral infections meaning prevention against further bouts.Of course speaking truthfully don’t have high hopes given science support is limited when talking about oral herpes management but still its worth considering as part of treatment mix.

) Over-The-Counter Creams an Ointments (Benzyl alcohol)
Many creams containing benzyl alcohol are currently marketed specifically towards aiding we patients dealing with fever blisters seeing immediate reduction amounts available virions. While results aren’t necessarily instantaneous but offers quick albeit short-lived chronic capabilities temporarily relieving discomfort.

The Bottom Line

Overall, it seems that using ice to help reduce swelling associated with cold sores can be an effective and natural option for many people. While the benefits of this process may work at first certain myths regarding killing off viruses through chilling temperatures are untrue.

Remember, cold sores will generally go away on their own in just a matter of weeks if allowed enough time, So if incorporating Icy application or some other remedy doesn’t seem to do much good feel assured there are always alternative methods waiting out as last resort moving forward.

Random Posts