It probably won't make you feel any better if you have one yourself, but cold sores are a very common problem. They're unsightly and most definitely uncomfortable. However, you can reduce the length of time a cold sore stays there with some simple steps and you can also prevent them from showing up at all.

Typically, a cold sore will go away on its own in a week or so. But if you happen to have a cold sore, you'd probably like it to go away a lot faster than that. If you get cold sores, you know how they have a habit of showing up at the most inopportune times. To get rid of cold sores faster, you can do a few things to help. It all begins with an understanding of how cold sores work.

Cold sores are not curable - they're a viral infection (herpes simplex). You can't treat the infection with antibiotics. However, you can treat the symptoms, which cut down on the length of an outbreak.

Don't get discouraged though. Even though you can't cure the virus, you can take some steps to permanently prevent any outbreaks. There are also some easy steps you can take to heal any outbreak you get in less than 24 hours. That was the idea behind starting our website - we understand the hassle they can be and think it's important you equip yourself to fight away cold sores for good.

Every year, about forty million people are affected by cold sores appearing on or around the mouth. There are a lot of things that can cause a break out, but at its simplest, a cold sore is caused by a strained immune system. That means that if you have anything that's causing your immune system to be more compromised than usual - a cold, stress, fatigue, sleeplessness, a change in hormones or even eating badly lately - you have an increased likelihood of a breakout.

An outbreak is often preceded by a tingling sensation or itching. This is followed by swelling and redness and then the sore itself emerges. There will be a brief period of oozing after which the sore will scab over. Try not to scratch the scab as this will slow down the healing process.

Most of us don't want to resort to prescription drugs to deal with our cold sores. They're expensive, may not be much more effective than other remedies, and require a trip to the doctor. However, there are a few simple things you can do to make having a cold sore a lot shorter and easier.

You can help fight off a cold sore with immune boosting supplements like vitamin C. You can also use lip balm, aloe vera gel and other soothing agents to prevent your sore from getting too dry and splitting. L-Lysine can also cause your sore to heal more rapidly; it promotes healing.

Generally speaking, you can help prevent cold sores by staying in good health, eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep. If you have been ill or overworked, a cold sore could be on its way. Treat yourself well and you can keep these sores from coming up in the first place.