A new way to Treat Cold Sores and my Experience of the virus. [ad]

A new way to Treat Cold Sores 

2019 has been the most awful year of cold sores for me. I have had four attacks and for the first three times they have taken two weeks to disappear. My last attack was very recent, and the cold sore wasn’t even given a chance to develop. I used a new different treatment, HERPOtherm®, with a 3 second blast of heat to the tingling spot. Wow the cold sore did not develop into a huge scab on my lip! So grateful for a new solution. Welcome to this collaborative post with HERPOtherm®

My Cold sore history

There are certain triggers for my cold sores, these are extreme stress, tiredness or exposure to bright sunshine. This unfortunately means that I have had cold sore attacks at the most inconvenient and annoying of times. It also means that I had had a cold sore appear for most of my holidays in the sunshine. I have included some pictures in this post of the worst times when I had a cold sore attack.

The Birth of My Third Baby

One week after my third baby Jack was born, we were booked for a photoshoot. I was recovering from a c-section and of course was not getting much sleep. The biggest of cold sores appeared three days before the photoshoot.

These pictures should have been a beautiful memory of a precious time, but instead I can’t help but to focus on the huge cold sore in the picture.

 A dream holiday to Las Vegas and New York

2014 saw me go on an amazing holiday that started in Las Vegas and ended in New York. The first part in Las Vegas included late nights and some time in the strong Vegas sunshine. Up pops a cold sore which stayed for the entire holiday. Here are pictures of me the top of the Rockefeller building and stock in front of the beautiful red rock canyon sporting a huge cold sore.

Our first two-week holiday as a family after I left my job

We had our first ever two-week holiday in 2015 in the summer just after I left my employed job to become self-employed. Two weeks in August in Spain. The hottest of times and the sunshine caused a cold sore within a few days. The cold sore last the entire two weeks of the holiday.

How do I feel with a Cold Sore?

Having a cold sore is such an awful feeling and really affects my confidence. I get two big cold sores on my lower lips every time I have an attack always in the same place. The ugly sores make not want to go out and show my face, I have avoided social events in the past when I have been unable to cover them up. I hate having photos taken during an attack (it was a challenge to find these few!).

I have used make-up in the past to cover up cold sores. This never does the job properly and has two nasty side effects. Firstly, putting concealer and lipstick on top of the cold sore means that the sore lasts even longer. Plus, the make-up product becomes tainted with the virus and then needs to be thrown away. I have re-infected myself in the past by reusing a lip gloss that I have used before with a cold sore.

Previous Attempts to get rid of Cold Sores

Every treatment I have used before for my cold sores has been ineffective, but I have always tried to use something. Who knows if the two-week cold sores could have been worse? I have tried creams and patches that cover the cold sore. I have spent so much money on these treatment over the years. Just 2019 alone with the three attacks of cold sore have cost me at least £30 in creams and other treatments, including a conversation in a French pharmacy in Corsica trying to get something to calm my early summer sun cold sore.

A new solution to treat cold sores.

I was sent HERPOtherm® to try out on my recent cold sore attack. This is a pocket-sized device that looks just like a lipstick.

The treatment of the cold sore is very simple, tried and tested by me! Place the small tip of the ceramic surface of the HERPOtherm® onto the tingling spot or the cold sore that may have already developed. Press the button and the device will take a few seconds to heat up to the temperature of around 51^oC. The device stays this temperature for 3 seconds and then switches off, so no risk of leaving the heat on the affected area for too long.

The targeted and concentrated heat application, known as local hyperthermia, triggers a response in the skin that can help to reduce the severity of cold sore symptoms or can prevent cold sore blisters from developing if applied once the initial symptoms appear.

It is best applied as soon as you feel the familiar tingle of the cold core coming. It can be used five times within an hour (it is recommended to leave a two-minute gap between each application). If applied early enough it can stop the cold sore from developing. I tried and tested it and it worked for me, my stress related cold sore did not develop!

That tingle is a feeling I know really well, and the dread that settles in when I feel it coming. I applied the HERPOtherm® device straight away and did apply it five times within the first hour of feeling the tingle. And it worked. This device is definitely a handbag essential and it now means I have a solution to that awful experience of the dreaded cold sore.

Available to Buy Now

A few extra points to note, the product can only be used by one person due to hygiene reasons and virus transmission. It is chemical free and due to short time of being applied it does not damage the skin. It also means that it can be used when pregnant. And finally, HERPOtherm® is a dermatologically tested medical device made in Germany.

HERPOtherm® is available to buy in Boots instore and online and from Amazon.