If you're trying to learn how to lessen cold sore outbreaks, you have to understand that they're caused by the HSV-1 virus. Cold sores are a viral infection caused by a virus and it's always on your body. However, there are times when the virus flares up. Therefore, the outbreaks can be more intense or spread faster.
One way to lessen cold sore symptoms is to keep the area as clean and dry as possible. Because cold sores require much more moisture and bacteria and are often kept damp and clean, they tend to fade away more quickly if they're kept clean and dry. To minimize the number of bacteria and moisture, make sure you wash the affected area on your lips everyday with a natural or commercial lip balm. Pat dry and use a lip balm to keep your lips moist and to help alleviate any discomfort you may have in the affected area.
Another way to decrease the amount of cold sores you experience is to increase the amount of vitamin C you have in your daily diet. Vitamin C has been shown to be helpful in fighting cold sores. A great source of vitamin C is watermelon. When you eat watermelon on a regular basis, you boost your body's immune system. Furthermore, you'll find that the painful blisters associated with this condition usually heal more quickly and go away more permanently when vitamin C is in your diet.
As you learn how to get rid of cold sores, you may want to consider trying l-lysine. Research has shown that l-lysine can reduce the amount of tingling and burning associated with the condition. In addition, l-lysine can prevent the onset of additional outbreaks by suppressing the activity of herpes simplex virus Type 1. If you are experiencing any symptoms that are suggesting an outbreak is imminent, it's important to take l-lysine. You can find l-lysine in any good natural health food stores as well as vitamin stores.
The last thing you should do if you are experiencing symptoms associated with a cold sore is to drink lots of fluids. To alleviate your symptoms, you should drink at least eight glasses of water per day. By drinking fluids, you increase the amount of liquid at the synovial fluid, which helps to drain away the liquid toxins in the tissue and increase the likelihood that an outbreak will be kept small and localized. Additionally, you should consider taking multivitamin supplements to help boost your immune system.
There are several other things you can do to avoid future outbreaks and lessen your embarrassment over cold sores. One of the most important things you can do is exercise regularly, since the more active you are, the more toxins you remove from your body through perspiration. By increasing your fluid intake and eating healthy, you can reduce the risk of having an outbreak. Also, it is very important that you do not share any personal contact such as sexual intercourse with anyone who has genital herpes, or have unprotected sexual intercourse with anyone else who has this virus.