sores or fever blisters are formed when a kind of viral infection hits the skin and nervous system. This skin condition is usually caused by herpes virus, which can lay dormant in the body and becomes active later when something triggers it - and they're contagious. They are sometimes confused with impetigo, which usually develops between the nose and upper lip. The fluid that weeps from impetigo is cloudy and honey-colored. Areas where sores do not develop are inside the mouth, where canker sores may appear as ulcers on the soft tissues but they are not contagious.

Good hand washing when a cold sore is present will help prevent the spread of the infection. There is a drug called Acyclovir (Zovirax) which narrows down the time duration of the infection. Effective management of this skin condition could involve using topical creams, ointments and at times drugs which belong to the antiviral category like acyclovir or famciclovir. Treat any pain by taking paracetamol or applying witch hazel to the sore. This local application medicine is a good anesthetic too. Treatment also involves in making your immune system more tough and sturdy by ensuring a balanced diet fortified with vitamins A, C, E, zinc and iron. Over and above, you must learn to do away with overtly salty and spicy foods or foods which promote acidity and drinks which may further deteriorate this skin condition.

Prevention is more preferred than cure any day so do without spicy or salty foods. It is best to have no or very moderate quantum of foods which are as follows: chocolates, peanuts, grains, peas, seeds, oatmeal and whole-wheat rich in arginine. Your focus should be a diet high in vitamin content and saying no to tea and coffee.

Rubbing ice on the infected skin for few minutes, repeated this every hour, is a very good home remedy for this skin condition. Alternatively you can apply a tea bag for few minutes on the blisters, repeating this every hour. Press a warm tea bag directly on the blisters for about half an hour.

Applying witch hazel on this skin condition has a miraculous relief effect. Take cover from sun-related cold sores by using sunscreen on the lips and arrest its recurrence.

Coconut Oil: Take 100ml of coconut oil, 2ml of disinfectant, and 3ml or carbolic acid and mix them together. Put this on the cold sores twice a day. Some even recommend this for treating boils and mosquito bites.

A tried and tested home remedy for cold sores is having tea tree oil as a drink with herbal sage and violet. These ingredients are mixed together with a couple sage leaves and ginger powder, and put in with a cup of boiling water. If you want this skin condition to simply go away in a short span of couple of days, drink this at least 2 to 3 times a day.

When everything fails for you, 3 acidophilus pills twice a day in the morning and evening could work wonders and dry and clear up. When this skin condition bothers you often try taking 2 pills a day. Of course this by no means is an exhaustive list of home remedies for cold sores, but some of the commonly used methods.