So… you’ve got cold sores, don’t worry you are not alone and there are things you can do to help minimise how often you have an outbreak.
According to the WHO it is estimated that half a billion people worldwide suffer from Genital Herpes (HSV2) and several billion have Cold Sores (HSV1), so yeah you are not alone!
There is still a lot of stigma around the word Herpes, sometimes jokingly referred to as ‘The gift that keeps on giving’, but there’s nothing funny about finding out someone has knowingly or unknowingly given it to you and it definitely feels like more of a curse than a gift.....
Unfortunately there is no known cure for herpes, but there are things you can do (and not do;) to minimise how frequently you get them. Stay away from any products that claim it is a cure, that’s simply false and the last thing you want to do is moisturise the outbreak with a cream or gel, this can lengthen the healing time and create more puss. You want to dry it out which will start the scabbing process earlier so your body can heal itself more rapidly.
Typically you will get an outbreak because of certain triggers that lower your immune systems’ strength, these vary with different people but are very common. The main triggers are stress, diet, lifestyle, if you are immunocompromised, too much sun on your lips or you have just run yourself down.
Because your immune system is constantly fighting the virus, if you want to minimise outbreaks it is best that you always keep your immune system strong and avoid things that can weaken it.
Believe it or not there is some silver lining to having herpes. By finding out what triggers are specific to you, it’s likely you will become more in tune with your mind and body which can lead to a healthier happier life!
Things to avoid so you get less outbreaks are excessive drinking, stress, poor diet. Things you can do to help is; avoid stress, if you can’t avoid stress, try to find what works for you to de-stress, this could be gardening, meditation or even bird watching, whatever ‘works for you’. Regular exercise is great for stress levels and very helpful with maintaining your immune system. A healthy balanced diet is also brilliant in keeping your natural defences as strong as possible.
Whether you are new to cold sores or you have suffered from them for some time, if you have any questions we would be happy to answer them. Whilst we can’t offer any medical advice we are always here for you.
If you want to learn more about HSV 9-1-1 click here.