Herpes is a very unpleasant viral disease of a chronic nature, which manifests itself on the lips (less often on the oral mucosa and in the nasolabial folds) in the form of grouped watery blisters. The herpes virus is transmitted through household items, through close physical contact with an infected person, and by airborne droplets. It is completely impossible to cure herpes - existing medications can only eliminate the symptoms of the disease and stop further progression of the disease.
Exacerbations of the disease occur mainly as a result of hypothermia, against the background of weakened immunity, due to overheating of the body in the summer, especially if you are in a draft. Harbingers of exacerbation are itching and burning of the skin at the site of the future rash; slight chills and general weakness of the body are possible, as with a common cold.
You can treat herpes on the lip with one of the many pharmacological drugs sold in the over-the-counter department of the pharmacy. Ointments, gels, tablets, pharmaceutical compositions are quite effective and allow you to get rid of the painful and unpleasant symptoms of “fever on the lip” in a short time. However, no less effective are popular folk remedies that can quickly cure herpes on the lip completely free of charge and are always at hand for any person.
Herpes - types of virus, how it is transmitted, symptoms
Today, more than two hundred types of herpes are known: simplex, chickenpox, herpes sore throat, herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus. Based on the nature and manifestations of the impact, eight types are distinguished, but the most common is the first type of virus.
This is what we usually call a cold or fever on the lips; much less often it appears under the nose, on the fingers or near the eyes. Every person sooner or later encounters so-called herpes simplex, because 95% of people are carriers of it, but this does not mean that it manifests itself in everyone.
In general, you can learn camouflage from herpes. You carry it, pass it on to other people, but you yourself don’t even suspect it if it doesn’t manifest itself outwardly. Once the virus enters the body, it may remain inactive as long as your immune system is strong.
The fact is that the virus penetrates nerve cells, integrating itself into their DNA, and it is no longer possible to remove it from there. The immune system of some people can cope with it, while others are less fortunate: with any weakening of the immune system, herpes is activated and immediately explodes with rashes.
As soon as you give up - catch a cold, get your feet wet, freeze, overheat, get injured, get nervous, your immune system will begin to fight the primary threat and it is at this moment that the insidious virus will begin to multiply. This outbreak of activity is called a relapse and is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Barely noticeable tingling, itching, tingling, or other unusual sensations on the lips
- Redness of the skin at the site of external manifestation of the virus
- Lip swelling, swelling, feeling of inflammation
- The appearance of blisters, microscopic but painful
- Bubbles containing clear liquid increase in size
- After two days, the fever on the lips turns yellow, the blisters burst, forming ulcers
- When the ulcers dry out, they become covered with a crust, which is best not to peel off, as it can easily become infected, and it is also very painful.
During a relapse, a person is dangerous to others and literally “sows” infection around himself. When the bubbles open, billions of viral particles are released. These virions are very resilient, they do not die from temperature changes, exposure to water or ultraviolet radiation, and remain pathogenic on the skin and surrounding objects for a long time.
By following a number of rules, the risk of herpes can be minimized
Herpes is transmitted through any contact: handshakes, hugs, kisses, sex, and, alas, it is impossible to avoid such infection, you will not wear a spacesuit all your life.
Getting onto the skin from the mucous membranes, herpes is transferred to objects, from there to the human body, to its mucous membrane and, finally, into the body. With good immunity, a sufficient number of antibodies are produced, the weakened body cannot destroy all viral particles, and the survivors penetrate the nervous system.
Surrender who can
Before you begin treatment, you first need to make sure that it is really the herpes virus type 1. Because blisters on the lips can also occur when infected with the genital herpes virus (type 2), which is already more dangerous. Therefore, it is better to take a test such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction). The material you will need is blood and the contents of the vial. This study will help determine the type of virus (there are 8 types in total), as well as determine the degree of infection activity. But it’s easier to donate blood for antibodies to herpes simplex viruses types 1 or 2. If the virus is in the body, there will be antibodies.
And if relapses of the disease (primarily genital herpes) occur frequently and cause a lot of suffering, then antiviral medications will have to be taken for several months. Immunomodulatory therapy, antiherpetic vaccine and ozone therapy also play a role in complex treatment.
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Ointments for herpes
In winter and spring, when we especially lack vitamins, and there are many sores “walking” on the street, we must always have with us a remedy that can destroy the beginning manifestations of fever on the lips.
There are many drugs that speed up healing and reduce the symptoms of a “cold”, even if they are already visible, but our goal is to prevent them from occurring. For this, ointments, creams and gels are best suited, which should always be in your home medicine cabinet.
Thanks to the targeted effect on the source of inflammation, the ointment or gel quickly suppresses the activity of herpes, supports and restores the skin that has been attacked, it is simple and easy to use - just apply it in time and repeat the procedure several times a day to prevent the infection from developing.
Plant extracts and acyclovir prevent the multiplication of the virus, enhance skin protection, and help to recover faster. Unlike tablets, gels, creams and ointments practically do not cause allergies and do not affect internal organs, since they are used exclusively at the site of the lesion.
The most popular ointments are Acyclovir, Zovirax and Panavir. The first two and all their variations are made on the basis of acyclovir, a substance that blocks the reproduction of herpes. Various auxiliary components (propylene glycol, petroleum jelly) help relieve pain due to the rapid absorption of the active ingredients. Such drugs are contraindicated for pregnant, lactating women and people with individual intolerance.
If you start therapy on time, you can prevent the development of the virus
The most natural of the antiherpetic pharmaceutical products is Panavir gel (extract from potato shoots).
Proven folk recipes
There are a lot of non-traditional ways to quickly eliminate cold symptoms. Surely every person has his own, proven, 100% recipe, which he resorts to at the slightest sign of the onset of inflammation on the lip. Here are just a few examples:
- earwax. Take out a small amount of sulfur mass with a cotton swab and apply to the affected area;
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- honey and apple cider vinegar, taken in equal proportions. Grind to an ointment and apply to a herpes rash;
- garlic. Pass through a press and lubricate the herpes on the lip with the resulting pulp;
- fir oil. Soak a sponge in oil and apply it to the “cold” every two hours;
- aloe or Kalanchoe juice. Helps prevent itching and inflammation. In addition, it has a desinfecting effect and promotes rapid healing of skin affected by herpes;
- cologne or valocordin. Cauterize the “fever” on the lip by soaking cotton wool in cologne;
- Black tea. Apply a hot bag to the herpes rash several times a day;
- lemon pulp. Rub on the “cold” several times a day.
Propolis tincture has proven itself excellent in the treatment of herpes on the lip. It is advisable to combine the use of this folk medicine with a soothing cream. The action of the tincture is very aggressive towards the herpes virus, therefore it helps to very quickly cure herpes on the lip and has both a drying and disinfecting effect.
Folk remedies
Folk remedies for fighting the virus are considered the most accessible and easiest to use, but in each case their effectiveness can be different - it always helps one person quickly, while on another it acts “like a poultice on a dead person.” It should be noted that natural folk remedies do not cause side effects, and therefore can be used to treat pregnant women and children.
Natural oils - fir, sea buckthorn, rosehip, tea tree. As soon as the first symptoms of “fever” on the lips begin to appear, you should immediately lubricate the area with oil and repeat the procedure every hour or two. This way you can avoid bubbles altogether. Of course, Siberian fir oil does not taste very pleasant and burns a little, but it is better to endure it right away than to walk around with a wound on your lip for a week, or even two. Apply oils in a circular motion, moving from the outer boundaries of the inflammation to the center.
Sea buckthorn oil is considered one of the relatively effective folk remedies.
Also, at the first signs, use Kalanchoe and aloe juices. Simply break off a leaf and gently brush the juice onto your lip.
Garlic, the most famous natural antiviral agent, significantly reduces the symptoms of colds. Having crushed the clove well, add a coffee spoon of honey and a dessert spoon of rich sour cream so as not to get burned when you apply the mixture to the inflamed area.
The affected part of the skin can be gently wiped with chamomile or celandine decoctions.
Get ahead of herpes
For those who experience lip fever only occasionally, symptomatic treatment will suffice. To prevent herpes from ruining your appearance and well-being, you need to apply antiherpetic ointment to the sore spot as soon as possible or even start taking antiviral drugs (acyclovir) orally. Medicines should be used prophylactically for 5 days. By the way, you need to apply the ointment not with your finger, but with a cotton swab, first spreading it around the bubble and then in the center. Also, during the first three days of illness, you should take vitamin C and B vitamins, and apply an oil solution of vitamin E to the affected areas. This will reduce pain and speed up the healing of ulcers.
Applying a piece of ice or a squeezed used tea bag to the blisters helps relieve itching (tea tannins contain tannic acid, known for its antiviral properties). Many people also benefit from tea tree and sage essential oils, which have an antiseptic effect. By the way, when crusts appear in place of the bubbles, under no circumstances should they be peeled off. Otherwise, re-infection will occur, and the disease will drag on for a long time. There is also no need to burn sores with alcohol, iodine and brilliant green. This will not have any effect on the herpes virus, but burns to the skin and mucous membranes are possible. It is better to carefully lubricate the rash with an antiseptic that does not contain alcohol (this will prevent the addition of a bacterial infection).
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How to quickly get rid of herpes on the lips in 1 day at home
It is possible to prevent the appearance of herpes on the lips only if you react immediately when alarming symptoms begin to appear - before small blisters appear, that is, in the first few hours. If you miss this moment, you will not be able to avoid a rash.
Using the tools available to you, you can significantly reduce the visible manifestations of “fever”. Also be very careful and careful: apply oil, ointment or wipe the area where herpes appears with a cotton swab with clean hands and very gentle movements so as not to damage the skin.
If you are not a follower of traditional methods and want to quickly get rid of rashes, then on the first day, in addition to using local therapy in the form of ointments, you should start taking Acyclovir, Zovirax or Famvir tablets, strictly following the treatment regimen. But let me remind you once again: you should not take medications without consulting your doctor.
The development of the virus is often provoked by chronic stress.
Advice: remember that during a relapse, it is recommended to drink more water so that the substances contained in medications do not accumulate, but are eliminated from the body.
Apply ointments and gels continuously as the previous layer dries and is absorbed. If you damage the bottle, immediately blot it with a napkin and immediately put the ointment back. Just do not mix different external preparations. Do not peel off the formed crusts when the blisters have burst, as this will only complicate the healing process. Be sure to lubricate the affected area with an emollient ointment.
To speed up recovery and support the body, you can use interferon and human immunoglobulin preparations, but they can only be prescribed by a specialist, and only in especially severe cases. We, as a rule, do not run to the hospital when we discover herpes on the lips, but treat ourselves at home on our own.
Following these simple tips will help you maintain your health.
Prevention
Since the herpes virus is very common throughout the world, it is almost impossible to avoid infection, but we can make sure that the immune system successfully resists it:
- Always practice good personal hygiene
- Use personal hygiene products: towels, linen, dishes
- Try to touch your face less
- Strengthen your immune system - drink decoctions of rose hips, St. John's wort, mint tea, eat more fruits and vegetables, take vitamin complexes in winter and spring
- If you have a small child and you catch a fever, do not kiss him, wear a cotton-gauze bandage and do not touch the baby without gloves
- Walk a lot, but avoid hypothermia and overheating
- Try to avoid stress and don't take things too seriously
- Get rid of bad habits, as they greatly weaken the body.
- If you are sick or have a cold, get treatment and help your immune system
This is usually enough to minimize the risk of relapse. I hope these tips will help you prevent the appearance of “fever” on your lips, which so spoils your beauty and, accordingly, your mood. Be healthy!
