By DAVE RANDOLPH

Have you noticed that you get more cold sores in the summer time? That is because exposure to sun or ultraviolet light can increase the likelihood of that nasty cold sore popping up. However, who wants to sacrifice their summer lifestyle just to prevent cold sores. I am going to guess NOBODY!

Today we are talking all about cold sores; how to prevent them, how they operate, and how to get rid of them. First, let’s talk the lifecycle of the cold sore. On top of sunlight cold sores can also be caused by stress, (both emotional and physical), fatigue, lip injuries, chapped or dry lips, a lack of vitamin C in your diet, and illness or fever. The cold sore goes through five stages. There is the tingle stage, the blister stage, the ulcer stage, the scabbing stage, and finally the healing stage. Normally the entire life cycle of a cold sore is ten days. What is the best treatment plan for a cold sore? Most of the time an over-the-counter product will cut it. Luckily there are many options! Lysine+ Cold sore treatment is one that I heavily recommend. It is affordable and leads to good results. A few other really solid options that range in price are Herpecin, Camphophenique, Anbesol, and Abreva. There is also a Lysine invisible cold sore bandage. In the summer time there are a couple products out there that protect your lips from the sun and thus help prevent those nasty cold sores. I recommend the Aquaphor or Chapstick with SPF 25 or 30. If you are really prone to getting cold sores, I recommend the Lysine+ lip treatment and protectant with an SPF 21.

Cold sores are uncomfortable and at times irritating but the treatment and prevention options are abundant!