A fever blister is a cold sore which is caused by an infection. Fever blisters are a form of herpes. A fever blister is often described as a red blister which develops in various areas of your mouth. It can be found both on the outside of your mouth and the inside of your mouth, such as on your gums. The blister is described as being itchy, sore, and easily irritated. Pain and discomfort is almost always existent when these blisters are around but they are often aggravated by eating, especially spicy foods, and various other mouth functions.
About Fever Blisters
Fever blisters are otherwise classified as herpes simplex virus (type 1). The condition is contagious, which means that it can spread to other people as well. This is one of the major reasons why immediate treatment is necessary when the condition is noticed. It is only a matter of simple skin contact with someone that can cause a spread of the infection. For instance, kissing or sharing the same face towel could cause fever blisters to spread. Lastly, you also need to prevent yourself from spreading the condition to other areas of your body so make sure you regularly clean your hands.
How They Can Be Treated
Sadly, you cannot cure this condition. The best thing you can do is try to treat it with medication. There are some home remedies that are often practiced when treating fever blisters as well. You will also need to practice prevention methods to make sure that the condition does not spread to anyone else. If you end up with fever blister then you will have to speak with your doctor about the best treatment method. You may also be able to get a prescription or recommendations from your dentist.
Treating Fever Blisters with Medication
Antiviral medication is often prescribed for treating fever blisters. You can find both over the counter and prescription medication for treating this condition. You should know that the medication you use to treat fever blisters will not remove the virus from your body. The medication only works to get rid of the symptoms (itchiness, pain, etc) and make the fever blisters go away faster. They may not be easily noticed but they can flare-up with just a single trigger. The only way for the virus to leave your body is to simply wait as no medication can drastically speed this up.
Some medication comes in tablet form while other medication may be available in gel form. The gel form is simply rubbed onto the blisters and left there. Besides specialty gel there are other products that could be applied to the blister as well. This may vary depending on the location of the blister. For instance, fever blisters on your lip could be applied lip balm to help with the treatment.
Home Remedies
The medication that is used for treating fever blisters is usually fairly strong. It can pretty much remove all the symptoms and get the blisters to go away in a short period of time. While there is still a risk of the condition coming back after it is first removed this is still a very good treatment option. However, the same results can often be found by practicing various natural treatment methods at home.
Most home remedies use herbal ingredients or require you to ingest a higher quantity of certain nutrients. The increase in nutrients can be attained by changing your diet in some cases but is more prominently achieved by adding supplements to your diet plan. A few examples of items used to treat fever blisters at home include the following: tea bags, tea tree oil, and aloe vera.
Final Thoughts
You should not think that you will never be affected by this condition. It is actually a fairly common problem which many people will experience in their lifetime. As it is also very contagious there is a decent chance of someone near you getting them and it getting spread to you. This is why it is essential that you know how to prevent the condition from spreading and how to treat it when you know you have the condition.
With the proper treatment you can minimize the visibility of the blisters and remove symptoms to make the condition much easier to deal with. However, just remember that consistent treatment is necessary for the best results as the condition does not go away right away.
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