Hello everyone! For this article, I have decided to write a list of my top 5 tips for treating cold sores. I have battled many cold sores for the past few years and I have done a lot of research about them. Over the years I have learned some really great tips, specifically, how to go about getting rid of cold sores. I hope these tips will help you as much as they have helped me. So with that, I present to you my top 5 tips for treating cold sores!

1. Washcloths!

When you have a cold sore, are you applying a washcloth to it at all? If not, you should be! Placing a cool wet washcloth on your sore is very important. This will help reduce the swelling with the cold sore. Ideally, you should apply the washcloth to the cold sore for 15 minutes and at least 2-3 times a day.

2. Pain Relievers

Although this won't exactly get rid of your cold sores, using pain relievers such as Tylenol or Advil can help in reducing the pain caused by cold sores. I don't need to tell you just how painful cold sores can be, even just reducing the pain can be a great start.

3. Use Ointments!

Try going to the store and seeing what type of skin ointments they have. Many of them can help relieve the pain or even help heal the cold sore. You can also try using something like Orajel to help numb the pain. Just make sure the ointment does say it can treat cold sores.

4. Avoid Acid!

Avoid any foods that contain acid. This is something I have especially learned the hard way. Foods like tomatoe often have a lot of acid in them. You can probably just imagine how painful it is if something like ketchup hits your cold sore. Therefore, stay away from it!

5. Leave It Alone

Finally, my final tip is to just leave your cold sore alone. It's good to try these other tips and to apply a washcloth for instance to your cold sore. However, you shouldn't be picking, scratching, or squeezing the cold sore at all. This is going to just prolong the pain. Try to resist the temptation and just leave it alone!

I hope you learned something from my personal list of my top 5 tips to treating cold sores. These are by far my more successful ways of treating cold sores. I hope they help you as much as they have helped me. Make sure to check out my blog, where I discuss other cold sore remedies I have tried and which have helped the most. With that, good luck!