Best Cold Sore Remedies
Cold sores, caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), are very common and mostly harmless. More than half of people in the United States have been infected with the virus, and 20% to 40% of those will experience cold sores. Typically appearing on the lips or mouth, cold sores commonly begin with a tingling or burning sensation, with a fluid-filled blister appearing a day later.
Cold sores are uncomfortable and annoying for those who get them, typically taking 10 to 14 days to go away on their own. While existing cold sore remedies can help with the discomfort, sufferers may still have an oozy, scabby sore for up to 2 weeks. Surveys show that most people affected with cold sores are not happy with their current remedies.
There is a large unmet need for effective, quick acting cold sore remedies that do not require a prescription. With no real new pharmaceutical development in the last 20 years in the cold sore/herpes virus field, a Dallas-based company and BioNTX member has launched a new cosmetic product to deal with cold sores and other skin discoloration, like dark spots or melasma caused by sun exposure or inflammation, and redness caused by a wound, sunburn, a medical procedure, or spider veins.
NEXTLEAP™ Cold Sore Care
NextLeap Cold Sore Care is a topical tranexamic acid (TA) formula which resolves the appearance of cold sores much more quickly for most people, typically within 24-48 hours of symptom onset.
NextLeap has been extensively tested with leading OTC cold sore remedies, ensuring compatibility of NextLeap’s benefits with the healing effect of the cold sore therapy. NextLeap works well by itself, but it can also be used in combination with the leading cold sore treatments, which may give some people even faster relief.
Oral Antiviral Medications
Oral antiviral medications like valacyclovir are the most efficient way to get rid of cold sores, but those require a prescription. Likewise the topical antiviral acyclovir requires a prescription, at least in the United States. They can reduce pain and help healing if taken within the first day or so of the onset of a cold sore. Otherwise, they are less helpful. If cold sores are a constant issue, doctors may prescribe daily antivirals to keep outbreaks from happening.
Over-the-Counter Creams
Over-the-counter creams like Docosanol 10% can help reduce the pain and duration of a cold sore if started within a day of occurrence. These are slightly less effective than oral antiviral medications on average, but do not require a prescription.
OTC Pain Releivers
You can also try OTC pain reliever creams, lip balm, ice, or cold compresses, and not touching the cold sore. As cold sores are contagious, you should not kiss others and should wash your hands regularly until you’ve healed.
If cold sore treatments on the market have not worked for you as well as you had hoped, using NextLeap, alone or underneath a typical cold sore therapy, should let you get back to looking like yourself sooner! You can buy NextLeap at nextleapskincare.com, or on Amazon or Walmart.com.
